49ers eye Week 6 return for Brandon Aiyuk while WR injuries mount - ESPN

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — In the midst of a rash of injuries that has hit the wide receiver room particularly hard, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan offered the closest thing to a return date for Brandon Aiyuk for the first time Monday.

While Shanahan was sure to add the necessary caveats that things can change with a serious injury such as the torn ACL and MCL in Aiyuk's right knee, his current hope is to have Aiyuk back a little before midseason along with safety Malik Mustapha and quarterback Kurtis Rourke, both of whom are also dealing with ACL injuries.

«I kind of view all those guys around the same time,» Shanahan said. «Whether it's Mustafa, whether it's Rourke or whether it's Brandon. They're all at different stages, but where they're at, I always see 'em around Week 6, which means that could be Week 10, it means it could be Week 5, but that's the area where I start thinking about it, which is a long way away. I know it's not Week 1 or anything like that, so it's something I'm not really thinking about too much.»

Aiyuk remains on the physically unable to perform list because of the knee injury he suffered against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7 of last season. Aiyuk has been around the team throughout this training camp, offering tips to the healthy receivers as they go through practice and helping receivers coach Leonard Hankerson break down plays in meetings.

But Aiyuk's knee injury wasn't as clean as others, which is why a nearly yearlong timetable has been eyed. His potential return took on even more importance given the continued rash of injuries that has hit the Niners at receiver.

One of the few who had been a steady presence was rookie Jordan Watkins, a fourth-round pick out of Mississippi who made a