Who Should I Start? Joe Burrow or Brock Purdy
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.4 | 10.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Joe Burrow News
Friday, August 14, 8:05 PM
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow completed five of six passes (83.3%) for 39 yards and took one sack in the 16-14 win against the Detroit Lions in the team's preseason opener on Friday night. Burrow only played the first two drives of the game, then handed over the reins to backup quarterback Joe Flacco. The 29-year-old QB is coming off a season in which he was limited to just eight games due to injury, but he was once again a top-end fantasy contributor when healthy. Burrow's modest stat line is expected for a preseason game. The most important takeaway from this contest was that Burrow came away from it without any injuries. It remains to be seen how much he will play in next week's contest against the Chicago Bears, but whether he plays or not, he will be a locked-in fantasy QB1 for the 2026 season.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.3 | 17.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Brock Purdy News
Thursday, August 13, 11:19 AM
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will not play in the team's preseason opener on Thursday against the Tennessee Titans, according to Vic Tafur and Matt Barrows of The Athletic. It doesn't make much sense for Mac Jones to play either, although Jones has not been very sharp during training camp. Kurtis Rourke, who could be the backup in 2027 if Jones isn't around, figures to see most of the playing time on Thursday night. Adrian Martinez also figures to see extensive work against Tennessee, especially if Jones is held out. Even though the 26-year-old Purdy has already lost receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) for the entire 2026 season, the former seventh-rounder from Iowa State should be primed for a bounce-back campaign in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense after suiting up for only nine games in 2025 due to a turf-toe injury. Purdy will have more QB1 upside in his fifth NFL season if rookie second-round receiver De'Zhaun Stribling can step up as a big-play wideout across from veteran Mike Evans. Fantasy managers should be targeting Purdy as a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 in 2026.
Joe Burrow vs. Brock Purdy
Still trying to decide between Burrow and Purdy? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Joe Burrow is projected to score 25.4 points this week while Brock Purdy is projected to score 24.3 points.
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