3 SF 49ers players who should see more field time vs. Patriots

No. 3: SF 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk

The third member of the “YAC Bros” has been given pretty limited opportunities so far during his rookie season, a path that mirrors how SF 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan used fellow wideout Deebo Samuel last season.

But the training wheels may need to start coming off in order to give the dynamic first-year man out of Arizona State a larger part of this offense.

While wide receiver Brandon Ayiuk‘s snap count has actually been pretty steady since returning from an offseason injury, hovering in the low 60s the last three weeks especially, his targets and opportunities to make plays have decreased since Samuel returned for the Week 4 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Aiyuk’s 14 catches for 165 yards is good for just 33 yards per game, although that number goes up a bit when you add in his four rushing attempts for 69 yards, pushing the total up to 46.8, but this is still a number that needs to increase.

The rookie has seen a lot of the field, but little has been asked of him so far, especially in terms of proving he can get open against cornerbacks and make himself available for SF 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to throw the ball to.

There’s little doubt New England head coach Bill Belichick will be looking for holes in the 49ers offense his defense can exploit. It will be up to Shanahan to take advantage of the weapons he has on the offensive side of the ball and not show the Patriots’ coach any such weaknesses.

Adding touches to Aiyuk’s total will go a long way towards building up the rookie’s confidence, but it could also prove pivotal to the SF 49ers’ success on Sunday.