Is 49ers QB Brock Purdy Finally Nearing a Return to the Field?

Brock Purdy hasn't played since September 28 due to a toe injury, but he's reportedly getting closer to returning to action. While Purdy was reportedly healthy enough to play against the Rams in Week 10, the 49ers are taking a cautious approach as backup QB Mac Jones has been playing well.

#49ers say Brock Purdy is getting closer but they also say he won’t be 100% again this season. The question has become how close does he need to get to that to unseat Mac Jones who is producing like a top 10ish QB?

On the Niners’ nuanced QB situation…
https://t.co/pOEkYPr8rv
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) November 10, 2025

"He could have gone [as the No. 2], definitely," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "I just decided to hold him up in that situation. It depends on how close to 100 percent he gets."

There have been rumors of a "soft benching" as the 49ers have gone 3-3 with Mac Jones as the starter, but Sunday's 42-26 loss to the Rams might turn the tide. While Jones put up a great statline in the loss (33-39, 319 yard, three touchdowns, one interception), the 49ers sound like they're ready to turn the keys over to Purdy once he's healthy.

"This is Brock's team and if Brock's good to go and can play like Brock, there's no decision to be made," Shanahan said.

Fantasy Football Implications With Purdy

Jones has played well as the 49ers' starting quarterback and has been part of one of the most productive seasons of star RB Christian McCaffrey's career. He's also had to navigate a string of injuries to basically every 49ers pass catcher as George Kittle, Juauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne, and Ricky Pearsall have all missed time while Jones has been the starter. The former first-round pick has had a renaissance under Shanahan's tutelage and has thrown for 2,151 yards to go with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.

With the 49ers (6-4) set to play the Arizona Cardinals, it sounds like Purdy has a chance to play. "Our dilemma or what we're trying not to do is put him out in the situation we did versus Jacksonville six weeks ago," Shanahan said. "I do believe he's closer and further along than what he was at that time. Hopefully he'll have a chance this week."

Even if Purdy is able to play, it sounds like he won't be 100 percent for the rest of the season, and he would be hard-pressed to put up better stats than Jones has this year, as they're very similar players. If anything, Purdy's return to action might hurt Christian McCaffrey's fantasy value as he'd like likely target him less than the absurd pace Jones has looked McCaffrey's way this season.

While fantasy football owners who have stashed Brock Purdy on their bench all season will want to hold onto him to see what happens, Jones is QB19 on the year, so it's not like Purdy has a ton of upside to step into. He could push for top-15 fantasy value, but there's just not much upside to the 49ers offense right now with all of the injuries they've been dealing with.

If you've been holding Purdy all year, then you have to see things through and hope he gets healthy enough to reclaim his starting job. However, if you're a Christian McCaffrey owner, you might want to start doing a rain dance in the hopes that Jones will retain his starting job for the rest of the season.