George Kittle vs. Brandon Aiyuk: Who Will Have More Receiving Yards in 2022?

The 49ers offense goes through Deebo Samuel. This is common knowledge.

Samuel is the 49ers' No. 1 option in the pass game and the run game, and has a good chance in 2022 to become the 49ers' first player since Roger Craig to eclipse both 1,000 receiving yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season.

But who is the No. 2 receiver in the 49ers offense? The answer isn't so easy.

The answer should be George Kittle -- the 49ers are paying him to be their No. 1 option. His cap number for 2022 is $16 million. And he was their No. 1 option in 2018 and 2019.

But Kittle has been injured most of the past two seasons. He has missed 11 games during that time and, even when he has played, he has been hurt.

In 2021, Kittle injured his calf Week 1, played through the injury for four games and then went on Injured Reserve for three weeks. When he came back, the pecking order in the passing game was different.

Before Kittle went on I.R., Brandon Aiyuk was in the 49ers' doghouse for some unknown reason -- he had just 141 receiving yards through Week 8. But when Kittle returned from IR, Aiyuk had become the No. 2 option in the pass game, and he remained the No. 2 option the rest of the season.

From Week 9 (the week Kittle returned for I.R.) until the NFC Championship game -- 13 games -- Aiyuk gained 820 receiving yards, and Kittle gained 791.

I expect this trend to continue. Aiyuk is an ascending young player who deserves a bigger target share than he got last season. Plus, he has a close connection with the next 49ers quarterback, Trey Lance, who likes throwing passes toward the sidelines.

Kittle is a veteran who's legs seem to be breaking down -- his past two injuries occured when he simply was running. The 49ers need to manage his workload and make sure he doesn't suffer a serious injury that could affect his career.

That's why I expect Aiyuk will be the 49ers' second-leading receiver next season after Samuel.

And that means Kittle will be the most expensive third option in the NFL.