Brandon Aiyuk Injury Update: When Will WR Return to 49ers?

Brandon Aiyuk has proven to be an elite NFL wide receiver, when healthy, since being drafted by the 49ers in 2020. Unfortunately for Aiyuk and 49ers fans, “when healthy” has become a major caveat. Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL in Week 7 of last season against the Kansas City Chiefs. He remains sidelined. Below, we will look at when Aiyuk will return and be back in a 49ers uniform. In addition to an Aiyuk injury update examining how long he will be out for, we will also look at 49ers betting information.

When will Brandon Aiyuk return and be back with the 49ers?

Aiyuk was placed on the reserve/PUP list by the 49ers on Aug. 26. Per NFL rules, Aiyuk will not be eligible to play in a game until Week 5, when the 49ers play the Los Angeles Rams. 

It is unlikely that Aiyuk will return for the Rams game, however, as it is a Thursday night game. San Francisco will likely want to ease Aiyuk back into the lineup instead of putting him in there the split second he’s ready. Giving him an extra week or two of practice with the team is the avenue in which the Niners will likely take.

The most likely Aiyuk return dates are Sunday, Oct. 12 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Sunday, Oct. 19 at Levi’s Stadium against the Atlanta Falcons.

Here is a look at the 49ers’ schedule around the time Aiyuk is expected to be back.

• Week 6 Sunday, Oct. 12: San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Week 7 Sunday, Oct. 19: Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers
• Week 8 Sunday, Oct. 26: San Francisco 49ers at Houston Texans
• Week 9 Sunday, Nov. 2: San Francisco 49ers at New York Giants

How long will Brandon Aiyuk be out for?

Recovery time from a torn ACL and torn MCL varies from athlete-to-athlete. A general rule of thumb, though, is 6-12 months.

One example of a player recovering from tearing both their ACL and MCL is former NFL TE Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski tore his ACL and MCL in an early December game in 2013. He was able to recover and be back in time for the 2014 season opener in September of 2014. The time in between the game he was injured in and the game in which he played again was 274 days.

Aiyuk’s injury occurred on Sunday, Oct. 20 of last year. That was 335 days ago. If the WR returns for the 49ers' Week 6 game against the Buccaneers like we project, it will have been 358 days in between games.

Brandon Aiyuk fantasy football outlook

Aiyuk went late in most 12-team PPR fantasy football drafts, usually in the Round 12 - Round 16 range. This is a far cry from 2024, when he was going in the Round 3 - Round 5 range.

Aiyuk was a clear draft and stash for fantasy football owners this year. The former Arizona State star was peaking as a top NFL WR before the injury.

In seven games last season he had 25 receptions for 374 yards. In 2023, Aiyuk had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns.

49ers betting odds

The 49ers are climbing Super Bowl odds boards early in the season. San Francisco is currently +1700 at the best NFL betting sites to win the Lombardi Trophy. 

The 49ers had a projected win total of 10.5 wins prior to the start of the season.