The San Francisco 49ers had a rough go of it last week in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs — after Brandon Aiyuk tore an ACL and Deebo Samuel exited the game with a hand injury, Brock Purdy finished with three interceptions and no touchdowns.
Although Purdy certainly disappointed fantasy football managers in Week 7, he could be due for a bounce-back performance against the Dallas Cowboys tonight on Sunday Night Football. Is the third-year signal caller a start, or is he better left on the bench?
Analysis
A hot-and-cold season
Purdy’s stat line across seven games this season reads 138-of-216 for 1,841 yards, nine touchdowns, and seven interceptions. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster campaign, really. Purdy has two three-touchdown, zero interception games; but also one or fewer TD passes in five contests. At the very least, he’s thrown for 200-plus yards every week, however, an interception in five-of-seven games isn’t ideal.
With that said, Purdy has displayed his arm talent throughout his time in the league. His supporting cast has also been banged-up, which hasn’t exactly helped the statistical output.
The bottom line
Thankfully for Purdy, he’ll have some healthy(ish) pass catchers this week. Deebo Samuel (illness) and George Kittle (foot) are both active and expected to be on the field against the Cowboys tonight.
Speaking of Dallas, this matchup is a positive one for Purdy. The Cowboys rank 25th in total yards allowed and 19th in passing yards given up. The Dallas defense also falls 31st in points per game (28.0) and 23rd in passing TDs allowed per contest (1.5). This is a banged-up defensive unit — pass rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, plus cornerback DaRon Bland, are all out for Week 8.
In what should be a positive matchup for the Niners, don’t be afraid to start Purdy in fantasy. There’s a decent chance he bounces back on Sunday Night Football in front of a national audience.
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