As the San Francisco 49ers look to move to 4-0 in Week 4’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, they’ll be getting one of their top offensive players back in the lineup.
While the 49ers defeated the New York Giants 30-12 in Week 3, they did so without Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk was by far San Francisco’s top receiving option over the first two weeks but sustained a shoulder injury during the Week 2 win against the Los Angeles Rams.
After missing Week 3’s game, Aiyuk had been listed as questionable throughout the buildup to Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. But on Friday, coach Kyle Shanahan said that Aiyuk is “off the injury report” and will be “good to go” for San Francisco.
49ers’ HC Kyle Shanahan on WR Brandon Aiyuk, who missed last week’s game due to a shoulder injury: “He had a real good week. Yeah, he’s good to go, off the injury report. Excited to have him back.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 29, 2023
For multiple reasons, Aiyuk’s return comes at a good time for San Francisco.
One, the Arizona Cardinals have generally been better than expected through the first three weeks. While the 49ers are still heavily favored in Week 4, Arizona’s convincing victory over the previously undefeated Dallas Cowboys in Week 3 shows that the Cardinals can compete with and even beat some of the best teams in the league.
Two, even with Aiyuk’s return, San Francisco will likely have a thin group of receivers on Sunday. Deebo Samuel is listed as questionable while Jauan Jennings is doubtful.
Deebo Samuel questionable for Arizona game; Jauan Jennings doubtful.
New addition to 49ers’ injury report: Elijah Mitchell, who’s questionable after hurting his knee at Thursday’s practice
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 29, 2023
With those injuries, Aiyuk should expect his role in San Francisco’s passing attack to be more significant than even normal.
