San Francisco 49ers

Following an up-and-down 2023 season, veteran quarterback Joshua Dobbs signed a one-year, $2.25 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers this offseason. The 2017 fourth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Tennessee saw the most action of his career last season, playing in 13 games with the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings. Overall, he threw for 2,464 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions and ran for 421 yards and six scores on the ground. He is listed alongside Brandon Allen in the QB2 role on the team's first unofficial depth chart, and the position battle is worth monitoring in two-QB and Superflex leagues. If Dobbs wins the job, he should be stashed in deep versions of those formats, as he would likely have at least QB2 fantasy value if Brock Purdy had to miss any time. Dobbs has fantasy-friendly rushing upside, and he'd get to throw to a loaded skill group in the Bay.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, among other NFL teams, are in communication and are still negotiating with the San Francisco 49ers for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. However, no deal is done, according to source. The New England Patriots reportedly dropped out of the Aiyuk sweepstakes on Tuesday night, so it leaves the Steelers and Cleveland Browns as Aiyuk's most likely destination as of right now. It's unclear what Pittsburgh is dangling in a potential trade for Aiyuk, or whether they can actually meet his contract demands. The former first-rounder is heading into the final year of his rookie contract and wants a hefty raise after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Aiyuk would immediately become the Steelers' WR1 if a trade is finalized, although it would be a downgrade fantasy-wise with a move from Brock Purdy to either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. Stay tuned for more.

After inquiring about San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's availability, the New England Patriots have decided not to explore any further trade possibilities with the 49ers regarding their standout wideout, according to sources. The Patriots are excited about their young receivers, mainly rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, and want to focus on them. The Patriots reportedly had the framework of a deal in place for Aiyuk on Monday night, but they were always considered more of a long shot to land Aiyuk, with the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers also involved. It's good news for fantasy managers looking to score on both Polk and Baker as sleepers. The two rookie wideouts could start right away in three-wide sets alongside Demario Douglas in 2024, depending on the health of Kendrick Bourne (knee), who is coming off a torn ACL.

New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (knee), who has started camp on the team's PUP list, is expected to be part of a potential trade to the San Francisco 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk. The trade winds have been swirling around Aiyuk in recent days, but it's been reported that the framework for an Aiyuk trade has been agreed to by the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots. Bourne tore his ACL in late October of last season but has returned to practice in uniform, but without a helmet or shoulder pads as he continues his rehab. After spending the first four seasons of his career with the 49ers, the 29-year-old wide receiver enters his third season with the Patriots and now surveys a much more youthful wide receiver group with incoming rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker added to Demario Douglas and offseason addition K.J. Osborn. Bourne would compete for targets will all of these players, limiting his fantasy upside if he remains a Patriot.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan relayed to reporters on Tuesday that San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) has been dealing with a strained hamstring. While it's unknown if Mitchell will miss any time because of this injury, but the fact that Christian McCaffrey (calf) is also set to miss the preseason with a calf injury and the team adding former 49er Matt Breida to the running back stable raises the level of concern. The pecking order for the backup running back behind McCaffrey has heated up with Mitchell, Jordan Mason, rookie Isaac Guerendo, and now Breida. Mitchell has been the primary backup since McCaffrey arrived in San Francisco in a 2022 mid-season trade, but the hold on that job has loosened by the day. Keep an eye on any news regarding the injury status for Mitchell, but Mitchell does carry a slight edge as the contingency running back for the 49ers in case CMC isn't ready for Week 1.