Brock Purdy is poised for a big year after impressing the 49ers coaching staff last season. In his rookie year, Purdy stepped in when both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance went down with season-ending injuries, and led the 49ers to the NFC Championship game. Now set to continue as the QB1 for Kyle Shanahan’s team, they’ll hope a full season with Purdy at QB1 will help lead them to a title.
Fantasy Football analysis: 49ers QB Brock Purdy
Purdy had a great start once he took the reins last season, completing 114 of 170 passes for 1,374 yards. He threw 13 touchdowns and four interceptions in just nine appearances, though the majority of those came in the final six games. His highest output came in Week 14 against the Buccaneers, turning in 21.7 fantasy points as he finished in the top 10 QBs for the first of three times last year.
Start or sit in Week 1?
Brock Purdy should be started in Week 1.
Sure, there’s more pressure on his shoulders this season after showing what he was capable of in the back half of 2022. He’ll have some ups and downs and likely won’t be able to consistently sustain the production rate he showed in that small sample size, but the 49ers are expected to be a top team this year and Purdy will be the one to lead them there. Especially with solid offensive pieces at his disposal with Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk in the starting lineup, Purdy should get off to a good start for fantasy managers in all leagues this season.
Player(s) you would start ahead of Brock Purdy
Purdy sits at QB25 in the pre-Week 1 rankings at the moment, but if you’re looking for some more options around his same tier, I could see giving the fantasy starting nod to Kenny Pickett or even Baker Mayfield.