The 49ers are going back to Brock Purdy at quarterback, and I’m interested. He’s good, and that’s a passer-friendly system they operate.
The 49ers have been pretty good without him, with Mac Jones passing for at least 279 passing yards five times. Kyle Shanahan knows how to dial up a passing game.
There’s also the factor of the 49ers not being able to run the ball like they have in the past. Christian McCaffrey has averaged more than 3.2 yards per carry in only 3 of his 10 games. They’ll be relying on Purdy, I figure.
As a bonus, Purdy also uses his legs. He’s averaged 21 rushing yards in his last 17 starts, with 5 TDs. He’s coming off a toe injury, which may have him more cautious in that regard initially, but I’m expecting him to chip in some timely runs.
Since the start of the 2024 season, 31 quarterbacks have started at least half the time. Only seven have averaged better per game numbers than Purdy. That’s using standard scoring. In his last 17 starts, he’s averaged 262 passing yards, with 24 touchdowns.
Purdy may even be better than last year. He was a more effective touchdown thrower previously – 11 touchdowns in five starts in 2022, and 31 in 16 starts in 2023.
I’m in a league where I’ve got Sam Darnold and Brock Purdy. I will be putting Purdy in the starting lineup this week. (There’s the rust factor, but I like the matchup better and Purdy will run some.)
| QUARTERBACKS, PER START (since 2024) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | G | Pass | TDP | Run | TDR | Pts |
| Lamar Jackson | 23 | 236 | 2.43 | 49 | .22 | 27.7 |
| Josh Allen | 26 | 226 | 1.65 | 32 | .73 | 25.5 |
| Joe Burrow | 19 | 269 | 2.37 | 11 | .11 | 24.6 |
| Baker Mayfield | 26 | 257 | 2.19 | 21 | .12 | 24.4 |
| Jalen Hurts | 24 | 198 | 1.42 | 36 | .79 | 23.9 |
| Patrick Mahomes | 25 | 251 | 1.72 | 24 | .24 | 23.2 |
| Jayden Daniels | 23 | 207 | 1.43 | 50 | .35 | 23.2 |
| Brock Purdy | 17 | 262 | 1.41 | 21 | .29 | 22.6 |
| Jared Goff | 26 | 264 | 2.19 | 3 | .00 | 22.3 |
| Sam Darnold | 26 | 253 | 2.00 | 10 | .04 | 21.9 |
| Bo Nix | 27 | 219 | 1.74 | 24 | .26 | 21.8 |
| Justin Herbert | 27 | 240 | 1.56 | 23 | .11 | 21.2 |
| Drake Maye | 23 | 221 | 1.52 | 30 | .17 | 21.2 |
| Dak Prescott | 17 | 253 | 1.65 | 10 | .12 | 21.0 |
| Kyler Murray | 22 | 219 | 1.23 | 34 | .27 | 20.9 |
| Daniel Jones | 20 | 236 | 1.15 | 20 | .35 | 20.6 |
| Joe Flacco | 14 | 262 | 1.64 | 4 | .07 | 20.5 |
| Russell Wilson | 14 | 233 | 1.36 | 18 | .14 | 19.7 |
| Matthew Stafford | 25 | 248 | 1.80 | 1 | .00 | 19.7 |
| Caleb Williams | 26 | 218 | 1.27 | 28 | .12 | 19.5 |
| Jordan Love | 24 | 235 | 1.58 | 9 | .04 | 19.2 |
| Trevor Lawrence | 19 | 213 | 1.11 | 15 | .37 | 18.8 |
| Justin Fields | 15 | 158 | .80 | 41 | .60 | 18.8 |
| Tua Tagovailoa | 21 | 229 | 1.71 | 4 | .00 | 18.7 |
| Geno Smith | 26 | 237 | 1.23 | 14 | .08 | 18.6 |
| Aaron Rodgers | 26 | 221 | 1.77 | 5 | .00 | 18.6 |
| Mac Jones | 15 | 237 | 1.27 | 10 | .07 | 18.3 |
| Bryce Young | 21 | 184 | 1.24 | 15 | .33 | 17.7 |
| C.J. Stroud | 25 | 217 | 1.24 | 17 | .00 | 17.5 |
| Kirk Cousins | 15 | 245 | 1.20 | 0 | .00 | 17.1 |
| Spencer Rattler | 14 | 198 | .79 | 22 | .00 | 15.3 |
—Ian Allan