Who Should I Start? Brock Purdy or J.J. McCarthy

Tuesday, December 2, 11:35 AM

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy went 16-for-29 for 168 yards and one touchdown in the team's 26-8 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 13. Purdy's production reached season lows in completions, completion rate, and passing yards, but it was enough to finish as a top-12 quarterback in fantasy. Despite Purdy's mediocre stat line, it was an improvement over his performance against the Panthers, when he threw three interceptions and completed just one pass of 10 air yards or more. Against Cleveland, Purdy managed to complete six of his 11 such pass attempts, including a 30-yard bomb to George Kittle that set up a chip-shot field goal for Matt Gay at the end of the first half. San Francisco is on bye in Week 14, but it has favorable matchups in the fantasy football playoffs with meetings against the Titans in Week 15 and the Bears in Week 17.

Monday, December 1, 2:47 PM

Still in the NFL's concussion protocol, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (concussion) is symptom-free, according to head coach Kevin O'Connell. McCarthy will need to log a full practice on Wednesday to clear the league's protocol, but barring unforeseen circumstances, O'Connell has said he will start the team's Week 14 game against the Commanders. McCarthy reported concussion symptoms following a Week 12 loss to the Packers, and in his absence, the Vikings turned to undrafted rookie Max Brosmer, who led them to a disastrous loss to the Seahawks. Brosmer threw for under 130 yards with zero touchdowns and four interceptions. While the subpar play of McCarthy has had a profoundly negative impact on Justin Jefferson and the rest of the Vikings' pass catchers, Sunday represented rock bottom. Jefferson's four receiving yards marked a career low that was undoubtedly felt by fantasy managers fighting for a playoff spot, but with McCarthy expected back under center for Week 14, Jefferson slots back in as a low-end WR2/Flex, far from the must-start status he generally carries into the fantasy playoffs.