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

Wednesday, October 8, 5:07 PM

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (toe) did not take part in the first practice of the week on Wednesday, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. Purdy suffered a turf-toe injury in the season opener and missed Weeks 2 and 3 before returning in Week 4, only to aggravate his toe. The 25-year-old missed his third game of the year in last Thursday's surprising upset win over the Los Angeles Rams. Purdy is progressing from his toe injury, but he remains week-to-week and could certainly miss his fourth game of the year in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is definitely going to need to return to practice in the next two days to even have a shot at playing on Sunday. Mac Jones (knee) has been banged up himself early this year, but he should be able to make a fourth start against Tampa if Purdy is ruled out later this week.

Tuesday, October 7, 6:41 PM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) will get "extensive work" on the field during the team's bye this week, according to head coach Kevin O'Connell. McCarthy is officially returning to practice this week after missing three games due to a high right-ankle sprain that he suffered in the Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Veteran Carson Wentz one two of his three starts with McCarthy sidelined, although he did suffer a left-shoulder injury in the Week 5 win over the Cleveland Browns in London that the team will monitor this week. McCarthy led a comeback in Week 1 over the Chicago Bears but looked like a rookie in Week 2 while playing through his ankle injury. O'Connell didn't exactly commit to McCarthy starting in Week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles coming off the bye, so if Wentz's shoulder is alright, the veteran could make a fourth straight start.