San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed on Wednesday that quarterback Brock Purdy is a “long shot” to play in their Week 2 road matchup at the New Orleans Saints this Sunday due to multiple injuries and could potentially miss more time afterwards.
Purdy sustained both a shoulder and toe injuries during the team’s Week 1 victory over the Seattle Seahawks this past weekend and did not practice on Wednesday. The Pro Bowl QB went 26-35 for 277 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the season opener, firing a four-yard strike to tight end Jake Tonges for the go-ahead score with 1:34 remaining in the game.
This injury is yet another blow to the 49ers’ offense, who have been besieged by injuries to star players since last season. Just this week, the team had to place All-Pro tight end George Kittle on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury and now they will be without their starting QB for at least this week.
Purdy was a top-10 quarterback in average draft position heading into the season, so this injury will impact several fantasy managers across multiple platforms. His numbers in 2024 dipped from the year prior when he led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance, but he still finished as a top-15 fantasy QB with 3,864 passing yards, 323 rushing yards, and 25 total touchdowns on the season.
In his absence, backup quarterback Mac Jones will step in as the starter and will get his first taste of action after signing a two-year contract with the team this offseason. The former first-round pick is readily available on waiver wires as he’s rostered in less than 1% of fantasy leagues. However, I imagine Purdy managers already have other viable backup options in place and they can always turn to other QB waiver wire options like Michael Penix Jr. or Geno Smith if they’re in a jam.
With both Purdy and George Kittle down for the week, I expect Shanahan and company to keep things simple by leaning on Christian McCaffrey to carry the offense. I’d also expect a good bulk of Jones’ targets to be lobbed towards the direction of Ricky Pearsall after his breakout performance in Week 1.
