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

Monday, November 17, 3:01 PM

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy returned to action on Sunday after missing eight of the team's last nine games with a toe injury, and he threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns in a blowout win over the Cardinals. With one game left to be played on Monday night, he is currently the QB4 for the week, after his efficient outing against an above-average Cardinals defense. While Purdy's upcoming schedule features unfavorable passing matchups against the Panthers and Browns before a Week 14 bye, managers who can afford to keep him rostered through that stretch should be handsomely rewarded with fantasy playoff matchups against the Titans, Colts, and Bears. While streaming the quarterback position often means mixing and matching throughout the playoffs to find the best possible matchup, Purdy is one of the few streaming quality quarterbacks that can be trusted from Weeks 15-17, especially as the 49ers offense continues to get healthier.

Tuesday, November 18, 11:39 AM

The Minnesota Vikings are now 4-6 behind struggling young quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but the team is betting that McCarthy can overcome his current issues and acclimate to the NFL with time. Receiver Adam Thielen, who is back in Minnesota after two full seasons in Carolina, pointed to Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, whose improvement in his third season came after two mostly rough years at the helm. "I'm sure he's leaning on a ton of experience from the last few years that (included) some really tough moments," Thielen said, according to The Athletic. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell hasn't entertained a move and maintains McCarthy's issues are mechanical and can be corrected. Minnesota is going to give McCarthy the runway to improve, so managers in Superflex leagues will know they'll have a playable QB, albeit one going through the ups and downs of being a first-time starter.