Fantasy Football Impact: Brock Purdy Will Not Start in Week 3, May Backup Mac Jones
In this story:
Brock Purdy was listed today as a Game-Time Decision for the 49ers' Sunday matchup versus the Arizona Cardinals. What originally was meant to be a 2-4 week injury looks like to may pan out to be just a one-week absence. However, Kyle Shanahan has emphasized that they are taking this very carefully, and he will be monitored through pregame warmups. This leads to a need to dissect the matter, and truly figure out the probability of whether Purdy does, or does not play this week.
Fantasy Football Impact
First and foremost, we must weight the impact of this situation. Reports seem to trend towards Purdy playing, but he would be the backup to Mac Jones in this case. Purdy will be an auto-sit in fantasy football. Unfortunately, if he is an active backup, this destroys your chance to list him in an IR slot.
Despite a reported return timeline of 2-5 weeks, it was always possible for Brock Purdy to return earlier. Now, after logging back-to-back LPs, he could return this weekend. pic.twitter.com/WrnDVHv8fS
— David J. Chao - ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) September 19, 2025
Luckily for the 49ers, Will Johnson and Max Melton are both listed as questionable to play in this game. If they are out, this somewhat offsets any downgrade to Mac Jones.View our rankings as a decision-aid.
It very well appears now that Mac Jones will start again. He actually played quite well against the Saints in Week 2 as he threw for 273 Yards and 3 Touchdowns. Jones may just be a high-end backup in the NFL. Remember, he did have a nice rookie year in which he made the pro bowl. I do not shift stock a ton on an 49ers' with Mac Jones being the starter.
Brock Purdy is a Game-Time Decision (To Backup) in Week 3
Purdy is dealing with a turf toe injury, however, his injury is a sprain as opposed to the tear of Joe Burrow. This allows for Purdy to manage his injury, rehab, and reduce inflammation. It is more about pain tolerance and swelling, and if managed just fine, he can return sooner than later. 2-4 weeks was the timeline, but to return closer to 2 weeks is clearly not surprising, thus making him a game-time decision.
Based on what we know, I would lean towards Purdy being active, but not seeing any playing time barring injury to Mac Jones. With the swelling and pain management matter, it is just going to be difficult on his mobility in the pocket. The level of play clearly takes a hit. The 49ers are 2-0 and so I see little reason to take the risk on Purdy even being active for the game, but I suppose the risk outweights the backup situation.
Ultimately, we do not know how Purdy feels and how the training staff views the matter. It will be up to the team to determine his playing status.
More Fantasy Sports On SI News:
Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.