Who Should I Start? Brock Purdy or C.J. Stroud

Wednesday, September 17, 4:17 PM

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (toe/shoulder) logged a limited practice on Wednesday and has "a chance" to play in Week 3, according to his head coach, Kyle Shanahan. Purdy was unable to play in Week 2 due to a "turf toe variant" and this shoulder injury. However, seeing him already upgraded to limited status does put him in a good position to suit up this weekend when the 49ers face the Arizona Cardinals. Fantasy managers should continue to keep a close eye on his status during the week. In Week 1, Purdy enjoyed a strong start to the season, going 26-for-35 with 277 passing yards and two passing scores en route to defeating the Seattle Seahawks. With Purdy sidelined, the 49ers turned to Mac Jones to lead the offense last weekend. If Purdy were to remain sidelined, Jones would carry mid-end QB2 value facing the Cardinals.

Sunday, September 14, 6:08 AM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is hoping for a bounce-back season after a down year in 2024, but the new season didn't start well in the Texans' 14-9 loss to the Rams in Week 1. Stroud was limited to just 188 passing yards while completing 19-of-27 passes. He was under pressure from the Rams' strong pass rush most of the day and wasn't able to create enough big plays down the field. His interception came on a pass that was snatched out of the hands of his receiver, so it wasn't really on him. However, he didn't make enough big plays or lead any touchdown drives. Even with new offensive coordinator Nick Caley in command, the issues from last season were evident once again in Week 1. Stroud and the Texans will look to get on track against the Buccaneers in the first game of Monday Night Football's doubleheader, but with how rough the Texans' offense looked, it's hard to support Stroud as a QB1. In the RotoBaller rankings, he's QB17, making him a decent QB2 but a long shot to start in standard, single-QB leagues.