The injury bug has been a constant nuisance for the San Francisco 49ers this season, and it only got worse in Week 7 as Brandon Aiyuk suffered a season-ending torn ACL and MCL.

This is a player that finished as WR14 in half-PPR leagues a season ago, via FantasyPros. Aiyuk had yet to find his footing this season with only one top-15 weekly finish that came in Week 5. But he carried a team-high 28.4% air yards share while ranking second with a 22.3% target share, leaving an obvious void on this offense going forward.

With that said, Aiyuk's knee injury should have a major impact on fantasy football. The 49ers are logging 25.7 points per game (eighth-most) and 6.4 yards per play (third-most). Getting exposure to this offense is usually a smart move when it comes to fantasy. But which players should be circled following Aiyuk's season-ending injury?

Brock Purdy and the 49ers Without Brandon Aiyuk

Before we dig into the offense's skill position players, let's look at San Francisco's quarterback play. Week 7 wasn't Brock Purdy's best as he threw three interceptions.

Purdy has been successful across the entire season, though, logging 0.10 expected points added per drop back (EPA/db), via NFL Next Gen Stats. It's led to fantasy value, too, as Purdy is QB8, and even in Week 7's poor performance, he still put up 20.2 points (eighth-best in weekly rankings).

Last season was Purdy's best campaign yet, but what he's doing so far is even better. While the Niners still have an elite supporting cast, it's not quite as good as the 2023 season. Christian McCaffrey has yet to make his debut, though Kyle Shanahan circled November 10th as a potential return date. Plus, Aiyuk never really found his footing before Week 7's injury, and Deebo Samuel has already missed two games this season.

Yet, here we are with Purdy still one of the best fantasy QBs out there. San Francisco is logging the third-most yards per passing attempt and the fourth-most passing yards per contest.

We've already seen Purdy produce without key pieces, and that still stands.

Deebo Samuel's Fantasy Outlook

Over five full games, Deebo has produced three top-20 weekly finishes in half-PPR. He's still underperformed, ranking 27th in fantasy points per game. Keep in mind Samuel held a WR13 average draft position (ADP) in half-PPR, per FantasyPros.

Fortunately, Samuel managers could be saved following this injury. When looking at target share, we should exclude Week 7 as Deebo played in only four snaps. Over his five full outings, Samuel was actually leading the 49ers' wideouts with a 21.3% target share.

San Fran loves to get the ball in his hands in virtually any way as he has 19 rushing attempts on the season. That's always a good sign for any fantasy wideout.

Samuel has only two touchdowns on the season, yet he's second on the team with a 22.6% red zone target share when he plays. Plus, Deebo is averaging 0.8 red zone rushing attempts per game.

Aiyuk's team-high 93.2% red zone snap share leaves a void, meaning Samuel's 83.6% red zone snap share could only go up. If Deebo starts finding the end zone more often, his fantasy potential could be unlocked.

George Kittle's Fantasy Outlook

George Kittle's numbers have already been elite all around as TE1 while leading in points per game by a wide margin; Kittle's logging 14.1 points per game while Brock Bowers has the next-best mark at 11.2.

He already leads the team with a 23.2% target share and an elite 32.4% red zone target share -- that's miles better than the team's second-best mark at 20.0%.

Kittle has already been smashing it, and managers should be excited about continued production from the superstar tight end with more targets available in this offense.

Jauan Jennings' Fantasy Outlook

Jauan Jennings was out last week with a hip injury. After not practicing prior to Week 7's game, another absence could be in play.

Regardless, Jennings is one of the top waiver wire targets of the week. We saw what Jennings did in Week 3 when Samuel and Kittle were both absent; he erupted for 175 receiving yards and three touchdowns, yielding an absurd 41.0 fantasy points (the most in Week 3).

Of course, this kind of production is far from sustainable, and Aiyuk's absence does not leave the same void as Samuel and Kittle both being out of the lineup in Week 3. Still, Jennings has promising marks of a 20.0% target share (third-highest) and 20.0% red zone target share (second-highest).

Simply put, Jennings is the clear player to step up in Aiyuk's absence, making him a worthy addition to your roster.

Ricky Pearsall's Fantasy Outlook

It's feasible for Jennings to become a consistent fantasy contributor, and Samuel could increase his fantasy production. But this is where we get into some long shots.

First-round rookie Ricky Pearsall made his debut in Week 7. Seeing Pearsall suit up was an inspiring sight considering the rookie was shot in the chest under two months ago, and he got work with a 78.6% snap rate and 70.3% route rate (both first among wideouts).

Pearsall received two targets that eclipsed 10 yards paired with one red zone target. San Francisco is probably going to use the first-round pick.

But how much will he play? Some of this was due to Aiyuk's injury during the game, and Jennings was already out. Samuel also played in only four snaps. Maybe Pearsall is worth stashing, but we won't know what his long-term role will be until Samuel and Jennings are back in the lineup.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.