George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk Fantasy Trade Advice Ahead of Deadline

With plenty of time left before the trade deadline expires in most fantasy football leagues, it might be a great time to sell high on the San Francisco 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk.

Aiyuk has been the top performer in a Niners passing offense that's unsurprisingly in the middle of the pack with Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm.

George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, on the other hand, could be great buy-low candidates relative to their profiles.

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Deebo Samuel

Samuel has seen his production decline. Through seven games, he has 32 receptions for 387 yards and two touchdowns while running for 138 yards and one score. His yards per touch have fallen from 13.0 in 2021 to a career-low 9.4.

Even if San Francisco planned to use Samuel more traditionally as a pass-catcher, the hope was that he'd at least replicate 1,405 yards and six touchdown receptions he had in 2021.

Instead, he's not only providing less of a return on the ground but also failing to keep pace with his pass-catching numbers.

Because of that, fantasy managers with the 2021 All-Pro might as well keep him on their squad. You'll probably struggle to get a trade package that meaningfully improves your roster. At the very least, wait and see how he looks once he's back from his hamstring injury.

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George Kittle

Kittle has caught 28 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns. His 53.2 receiving yards per game are on pace to be his lowest since 2017.

This is continuing a general trend for the star tight end, who has yet to match the 1,377 receiving yards during his 2018 breakout campaign. The fact he missed the start of the regular season also heightened concerns about how much his injuries have piled up.

Maybe another fantasy manager focuses on name recognition alone and expects to be getting the George Kittle of two or three seasons ago. Otherwise, you might as well stand pat and count on things improving slightly.

Because aside from elite options Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews, the gap between the top performing tight ends and those in the fringe TE1 tier isn't that large.

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Brandon Aiyuk

Aiyuk is leading the team with 38 receptions for 483 yards and four touchdowns. He has been particularly effective in recent weeks, getting 80-plus receiving yards in each of his last three games and hauling in three touchdown passes during that span.

This could be the long-awaited breakthrough for the 2020 first-round pick. He might have failed to meet expectations in his first two years, but the potential was still there as he headed into 2022.

As long as Garoppolo remains the quarterback, Aiyuk's value may not be any higher than it is now. If you can trade the 24-year-old and address another area of your squad, then it's an idea worth considering.