Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Brock Purdy

Saturday, August 1, 8:47 AM

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy appears to have already lost wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) for the entire 2026 season, but the good news is he has shown some early chemistry in training camp with new wideout Mike Evans, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports. Purdy and Evans connected on the play of the day in practice on Friday. With the 6-foot-5 Evans matched up against nickelback Upton Stout near the goal line, Purdy threw high for Evans, who made a leaping six-yard touchdown catch. The 26-year-old Purdy played in just nine regular-season games last year due to a turf-toe injury, throwing for 2,167 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 284 pass attempts. It was obviously a disappointing showing for fantasy managers, but even with Pearsall likely done for the year in 2026, Purdy has obvious bounce-back potential in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense while being able to throw it up to a future Hall of Famer in Evans. The Niners are reuniting with veteran Deebo Samuel Sr., too, and Purdy still has All-Pro RB Christian McCaffrey to dump the ball off to when all else fails. A lack of rushing prowess limits Purdy's overall fantasy upside, but he's not a bad low-end QB1/high-end QB2 target for a bounce-back if he stays healthy in his fifth year in the NFL.