Who Should I Start? Jordan Love or Brock Purdy

Thursday, August 14, 4:20 PM

The Athletic's Matt Schneidman reports that Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (thumb) is wearing a soft cast after having surgery to address a ligament injury in his left (non-throwing) thumb. Love is still expected to return to practice next week. Even if he were fully healthy, Love was not expected to play in the second preseason game this Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts. The 26-year-old will get back to practice next week and is fully expected to be ready for Week 1 of the 2025 regular season. Love missed two games due to injury in his second full season as the starter in 2024 and finished with 3,389 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, a slight step back from the previous campaign. The Packers' offense needs to stay healthy, but if Love ends up running more, a bounce-back season could be in store. Draft him as a low-end QB2 with upside this fall.

Thursday, August 14, 5:52 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he expects to play quarterback Brock Purdy and some of the other starters in the team's second preseason contest this Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders. Purdy did not play in the preseason opener last Saturday against the Denver Broncos, so this will be his preseason debut this year, although he probably won't play more than a couple offensive series. The 25-year-old still has low-end QB1 potential with Shanahan running the offense and running back Christian McCaffrey in the backfield, but it's also concerning that San Fran's receiving corps is so beat up right now -- Brandon Aiyuk (knee) is on the PUP list and Jauan Jenninngs (calf), Jacob Cowing (hamstring) and rookie Jordan Watkins (ankle) are all hurt. Purdy's rushing ability gives him a higher floor for fantasy, even if the Niners' offense doesn't fully bounce back.