49ers roster: 4 young players San Francisco should play more vs. Colts

No. 1: 49ers Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk

Whatever the reasons the Niners aren’t featuring second-year wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk may be, they all need to stop now.

Aiyuk’s lack of target shares this season has been baffling. Despite having two clutch catches against the Arizona Cardinals two weeks ago, the fact he only saw those two catches reveals a lot. And to date, the former first-round draft pick has just eight catches for 90 yards and a touchdown over five games, including Week 1 where he wasn’t targeted at all.

This, all for a receiver who was intended to be an integral part of San Francisco’s offense.

Read More: 5 matchups that’ll determine if 49ers beat Colts in Week 7

If there ever was a game for Aiyuk to be more involved and to showcase his value, it’s Week 7 against the Colts. Indianapolis enters this game allowing 7.4 yards per pass attempt, which ranks 27th in the league. On top of that, Indy is going to be without starting safety Julian Blackmon (Achilles) for the rest of the year, and there’s a good chance two of their starting cornerbacks, Rock Ya-Sin (ankle) and Xavier Rhodes (ankle) aren’t available to go, too.

Winning games is all about matchups, and the 49ers have a clear advantage here with someone like Aiyuk finally breaking out of his slump and out of Kyle Shanahan’s proverbial “doghouse.”

However it’s done, the Niners need to look to getting Aiyuk much more involved than they have been up to this point.

Not just for his own impact abilities but for the team to end its three-game skid.