Brandon Aiyuk's Fantasy Outlook After 49ers Select WR in 2020 NFL Draft

There are under-the-radar fantasy football gems in the NFL draft every year, and the 2020 edition will be no different.

One of those potential gems is former Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

The San Francisco 49ers selected him with the No. 25 pick Thursday. If the numbers he put up in his final season with the Sun Devils were any indication, he should be a valuable fantasy player.

He arrived at Arizona State in 2018 as a 3-star JUCO transfer from Sierra College, per 247Sports' composite rankings, but didn't make a head-turning statistical impact during his first year in the Pac-12.

With N'Keal Harry the No. 1 option in the aerial attack, Aiyuk tallied 474 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

He made a significant jump in 2019 with Harry in the NFL, though, and finished with 65 catches for 1,192 yards and eight touchdowns. If he wasn't in the national spotlight before, he was after he torched the Oregon Ducks for 161 receiving yards and a score in a November upset that shook up the College Football Playoff race.

Despite the impressive showing, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller projected him as a third-round pick in an April mock draft.

Whether Aiyuk will be worth a middle-round pick for fantasy football players depends on how quickly he can move up the depth chart.

After all, he put up modest numbers as a secondary option alongside Harry but finished with stats that would make any fantasy football player thrilled when he was the go-to option in the aerial attack last year.

He won't reprise that role right away in an offense that already features Deebo Samuel, but he also should face single coverage throughout much of his rookie campaign.

That makes him worth a late-round flier for fantasy football players in single-season leagues and someone who should garner early consideration in dynasty leagues. He proved he can surpass 1,000 receiving yards in college and has the skill set to develop into a weapon in the coming seasons.

The 49ers need to replace Emmanuel Sanders in the passing game, and Aiyuk should see enough targets even in his rookie season to challenge for fantasy starts in the flex role.