Who Should I Start? Joe Burrow or Brock Purdy

Monday, July 22, 1:07 PM

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told the local media on Monday that quarterback Joe Burrow (wrist) has been fully cleared for contact at training camp. Burrow made only 10 starts in his fourth NFL season in 2023 due to a right-wrist injury that required season-ending surgery. The 27-year-old is now a full-go for camp and the preseason and should be 100 percent for the start of the 2024 regular season this fall. As long as the first overall pick out of LSU in 2020 can stay on the field, he should be able to bounce back, although his injury history early in his career makes him a risk/reward midrange QB1 target in upcoming fantasy drafts. Burrow averaged a weak 6.50 yards per attempt in 2023, but he should have enough volume to give him a high fantasy ceiling in 2024. RotoBaller has Burrow ranked as the No. 7 fantasy QB.

Monday, June 10, 8:18 PM

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy feels better positioned for success heading into the 2024-25 campaign. Unlike last offseason, when the signal-caller was working his way back from an elbow injury, he has been training since the 49ers were defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. "We got all the way to the end. We're right there and weren't able to finish it," Purdy said during an interview. "So for me, I had that taste in my mouth, and then get back into the gym, start slowly, working into it. And then here, in OTAs, getting with [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and going over all the games that we played in, every play, and going over situational football and stuff, and taking that and actually going out on the field and running things and repping things, and throwing to receivers. Last year, I didn't have that, so now that I'm able to attack those things, I feel like I've gotten better." Purdy finished the regular season by throwing for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 picks while completing nearly 70% of his throws. It remains to be seen if the 24-year-old will be better than he was in 2023-24. But he's a viable fantasy quarterback in nearly all formats, even more so if Brandon Aiyuk remains with the Niners.