Who Should I Start? Brock Purdy or Michael Penix Jr.

Saturday, November 15, 4:24 AM

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (toe) has no designation on the team's final injury report ahead of their divisional clash with the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11. Purdy was listed as questionable in each of the last two weeks before ultimately being scratched from both contests. Sunday's action will be his first time back on the field since Week 4 and just his third start of the season. Purdy's return to action coincides with that of Ricky Pearsall (knee), which means the quarterback will have Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, and George Kittle all on the field for the first time since Week 1. Arizona has played well against opposing quarterbacks this season, but backup quarterback Mac Jones (knee) passed for 284 yards and a touchdown with one interception against the Cardinals back in Week 3. Similar results are within reach for Purdy, who projects as a borderline QB1/QB2 in Week 11.

Saturday, November 15, 12:24 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. completed just 12 of 28 passes in Week 10 for 177 yards, leaving him with a lowly 58.8 percent completion rate for the season. However, it was the fifth straight game with a touchdown pass, giving him an 8:1 TD:INT over that stretch. While the latter stat is notable, he could have a tough time continuing that trend on Sunday against the Panthers, which is a defense that is middle of the road against the pass and limited the lefty QB to 18-for-36 passing for 172 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions in this matchup back in Week 3. After being sacked three times last week, the 25-year-old will also now be without starting left guard Matthew Bergeron (ankle), and his favorite target, Drake London (illness/back), heads into the weekend questionable after limited sessions Thursday and Friday. In what should be a competitive game, the Falcons have Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier to rely on as well, so it all adds up to Penix being a low-end QB2 on Sunday.