Who Should I Start? Brandon Allen or Brock Purdy

Friday, November 29, 10:13 PM

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brandon Allen could get a second consecutive start filling in for starter Brock Purdy (shoulder) when the 49ers play at the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday that he expects Purdy to play, but "lots of things could happen between now and then." In last week's 38-10 loss to the Packers in Green Bay, Allen completed 17-of-29 attempts for 199 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. In 10 career starts, Allen has only provided two fantasy-useful performances: A two-touchdown, 193-yard, zero-interception performance in his first career start with Denver back in 2019 and a two-touchdown, 371-yard, zero-interception game with the Bengals in 2021. A large snowstorm is predicted on Sunday in Western New York, and although most of the snow is supposed to fall before kickoff, it could still be windy. Even in perfect weather, the career-backup Allen would not be a recommended fantasy starter against a good Buffalo passing defense.

Sunday, December 8, 9:13 PM

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy rebounded from a depressing road trip to lead the team to an impressive 38-13 home victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The former seventh-rounder completed 20-of-25 attempts for 325 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. He rushed five times for 11 yards. Both touchdowns came on crossing patterns in the red zone to wideout Jauan Jennings against a surprisingly ineffective Chicago zone coverage scheme. The patchwork left side of San Francisco's offensive line stepped up in Week 14, allowing just one sack of Purdy, a good sign moving forward if tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and guard Aaron Banks (concussion) were to miss more time. It's worth noting, Purdy left the game in pain momentarily after being roughed in the second half but re-entered quickly. More importantly, today's domination and connection with Jennings and George Kittle was fresh air for those relying on Purdy. His matchups for the fantasy playoffs aren't great, getting a mediocre Rams pass defense at home on Thursday night in Week 15 before facing two stingy pass defenses -- first in Miami, then at home against the Lions.