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.

Friday, December 12, 10:11 AM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has largely struggled so far this season. Across seven starts, the 22-year-old has completed 56% of his pass attempts for 1,092 yards, nine touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. However, McCarthy had one of his best performances of the season in his team's Week 14 win over the Washington Commanders, completing 16 of 23 pass attempts for 163 yards, three touchdowns, and zero turnovers. McCarthy has also shown some ability to provide production with his legs, rushing for 139 yards and two touchdowns so far this season. Given that McCarthy has only cracked 170 passing yards in one start, fantasy managers should keep their expectations moderate. Still, McCarthy profiles as a high-end fantasy QB2 in a favorable Week 15 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys and could be trending upward down the stretch of the season.