Brandon Aiyuk injury: What status means for Week 3

Game status update — While it was revealed earlier in the day by Schefter, Aiyuk has officially been ruled OUT for Thursday night’s game against the Giants.

Update, Sept. 21 — Brandon Aiyuk won’t suit up for Thursday Night Football, per Adam Schefter. Expect Deebo Samuel and George Kittle to take on some extra usage in a good matchup.

The San Francisco 49ers welcome the New York Giants to town for a Week 3 matchup on Thursday Night Football. The Giants are dealing with a host of injuries, but the 49ers have some questions of their own. Most notably, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is listed as questionable with a shoulder injury.

Aiyuk suffered the injury in Week 2 against the Rams and while he finished the game, it was clearly slowing him. He caught three passes for 43 yards a week after catching eight passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns. He was listed as limited in practice all week ahead of TNF, but all three practices were walkthroughs, and the participation reports were estimations.

Betting and DFS implications for Week 3

The 49ers have an embarrassment of riches on offense. Aiyuk can draw some defenders, which is big for Brock Purdy, but the 49ers still have enough weapons to beat a depleted Giants squad. San Francisco is a ten-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook. It’s a lot of points, but they can cover even without Aiyuk.

If Aiyuk can’t play or is limited on Thursday, the bigger impact is on the production of his teammates. Whether you’re looking at player props or fantasy questions, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle are always good bets to be more productive. But the most interesting player is Jauan Jennings. He’s off to a quiet start, catching his first two passes of the season last week for 51 yards. But he’s an intriguing Showdown play to zig when everybody else is zagging with the Samuel and Kittle plays.

Of course, this could just end up being a massive Christian McCaffrey day, but look for Jennings to help stretch the field a bit.