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The San Francisco 49ers are welcoming back a playmaker in Week 13 when they face the Buffalo Bills. The team activated rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk off the Covid-19 injured reserve list. He went on the list during their Week 11 bye and did not play in Week 12.
Aiyuk had been picking up momentum before the 49ers’ bye week. He caught three touchdowns over his previous four games, and had back-to-back games with double digit targets. In Week 10, he caught 7 of 14 passes for 75 yards and a score. In Week 8 he caught 8 of 10 receptions for 91 yards and a score. In Week 7, he caught 6 of 7 targets for 115 yards.
The 49ers remain without quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but Nick Mullens has been able to find Deebo Samuel consistently in recent weeks. It’s going to be interesting to see how Mullens splits up the targets between Aiyuk and Samuel. Both are YAC machines, so expect to see the offense get creative to get the ball in both playmakers’ hands.