Last season, Brock Purdy rose from Mr. Irrelevant to playoff starter for the San Francisco 49ers. Now, he’ll enter this season as the team’s Week 1 starter — so long as he’s healthy by then. Here’s what to know about Purdy’s injury, and what it means for him and the 49ers as a whole.
Brock Purdy’s injury
Injury suffered: complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm
When it happened: 1/29/23
After going 5-0 as a starter in the regular season and leading the 49ers to the NFC Championship game, Purdy’s season ended prematurely when he suffered a UCL injury in the first quarter of said NFC Championship game and had to be taken out. While he re-entered the game due to a concussion to backup Josh Johnson, Purdy was unable to throw the ball due to the injury. That said, it doesn’t appear as if the injury will linger into next season, as Dr. Jess Flynn told the 33rd Team previous studies have shown that players who suffer the injury tend to be the same kind of player when they come back.
Barring any setbacks, Brock Purdy should be the same QB he was last season following UCL surgery @DocFlynnNFL and former #NFL coach @MartyMornhinweg discuss Purdy’s progress ⤵️
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) June 4, 2023
2023 Fantasy football outlook
Purdy is the starter for the 49ers and has been practicing like one in preseason. He might not be the most exciting fantasy prospect, but he could be a great pickup in the middle rounds of any draft as a backup quarterback or spot fantasy starter against the right matchup.