NFL Trade Rumors: 49ers Could Pursue WR at Deadline After Brandon Aiyuk's Knee Injury

The San Francisco 49ers may feel compelled to act with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk lost for the season, worsening their injury crunch.

ESPN's Dan Graziano reported Wednesday he "wouldn't be surprised to see the 49ers in the market" for a wideout before the Nov. 5 trade deadline.

Graziano and colleague Jeremy Fowler listed off multiple receivers who could be on the trade block, a group that included the New York Jets' Mike Williams, Carolina Panthers' Diontae Johnson, New York Giants' Darius Slayton, Jacksonville Jaguars' Christian Kirk and Los Angeles Rams' Cooper Kupp.

Fowler reported that Davante Adams and Amari Cooper were players that San Francisco "wanted" before getting dealt elsewhere.

Aiyuk had gotten off to a disappointing start (25 catches for 374 yards) before tearing his right ACL and MCL. With Deebo Samuel Sr. dealing with pneumonia, the receiver room is increasingly thin.

Other playoff contenders have been aggressive in addressing their lack of depth at the position. The Kansas City Chiefs are the most recent example, with NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reporting they are acquiring DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans.

San Francisco could soon get a boost in the form of running back Christian McCaffrey, though.

"The people I've talked to with the organization felt good about McCaffrey's chances to start practicing during the Week 9 bye," Fowler reported.

Considering the offense has performed reasonably well despite missing multiple key players for stretches, head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch may feel confident enough in the unit as is once you add McCaffrey to the mix.