Brock Purdy fantasy outlook: Should you target 49ers QB this year?

Brock Purdy was one of the biggest surprises during the 2022 NFL season last year with the San Francisco 49ers, including in Fantasy Football. Despite earning the title of Mr. Irrelevant for being selected with the final pick in the entire 2022 NFL Draft, he far exceeded expectations.

From a Fantasy Football perspective, Purdy started six games at the end of the 2022 regular season. He recorded multiple touchdown passes in every start, while totalling just three interceptions during that stretch.

He also finished among the top 20 fantasy quarterbacks in all six weeks, including three top-10 finishes and a season-best QB5 ranking in Week 18.

His solid production makes Purdy an attractive option late in fantasy drafts during the upcoming 2023 season. He will likely be available in the late rounds of most drafts, especially in traditional single-quarterback formats, so he profiles as a high-upside option with minimal draft-stock risk. There are plenty of reasons to believe he can take a step forward this year.

Purdy received very little playing time at all last year before being named the starter in Week 13. This came as a result of injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.

He played so well down the stretch, including winning all six of his regular season starts, that he was officially named the starter moving forward by head coach Kyle Shanahan.

With a year of learning the 49ers' system, as well as building chemistry with their offensive weapons, it's realistic to believe he will be an improved overall player in 2023. This gives him promising value as a late-round quarterback in Fantasy Football. Maybe even more exciting is the system he plays in and the weapons around him.

Kyle Shanahan has been known to run an extremely quarterback-friendly offense. Brock Purdy also has plenty of YAC specialists around him, which can potentially increase his own fantasy points.

Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle are some of the best YAC players in the NFL in their respective positions. They help make Brock Purdy a solid late quarterback flier in fantasy drafts this year.

Fantasy Football managers shouldn't be worried about Brock Purdy's injury

Brock Purdy

Following his undefeated six-game regular season in 2022, Brock Purdy helped the San Francisco 49ers reach the NFC Championship game. They were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles, partially due to Purdy suffering a devastating elbow injury.

Getting even worse news, the injury required surgery and put his status for Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season in jeopardy.

49ers fans, as well as Fantasy Football managers interested in Purdy, can proceed with more confidence after some recent encouraging news. He has reportedly been cleared to participate in training camp with no physical restrictions.

He's now fully on track to be ready for Week 1 and is expected to be the starting quarterback. He's already taking practice reps with the first team, seemingly getting the starting nod over Trey Lance and newly-acquired Sam Darnold.