Brock Purdy Injury Fantasy Football Impact | Should You Add Sam Darnold? | Which Other 49ers Can You Start in Week 8?
The San Francisco 49ers suffered a surprising loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. To make matters worse, quarterback Brock Purdy is now in the concussion protocol, and if he misses week 8, Sam Darnold would start in his place.
Purdy doesn’t necessarily lead the 49ers’ offense by slinging the ball all over the field, but he’s been an efficient quarterback. If he indeed were to miss the upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bengals, is Sam Darnold a QB you can start? What other 49ers should be starters? Let’s discuss it all.
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Purdy’s Season So Far
Purdy and the San Fran offense had been humming along the first five games, but have slowed the past two weeks.
Purdy had at least 200 passing yards in the first five games, tossing nine touchdowns to no interceptions. His completion percentage was over 65% every one of those weeks.
The 49ers’ offense was stymied against the Cleveland Browns in week 6. Purdy passed for just 125 yards and completed 44.4% of his passes. He was picked off once and threw one touchdown.
Purdy was enjoying another positive showing against the Vikings before taking a big hit on a quarterback sneak. Many believe it was the play that put Purdy into the concussion protocol.
Darnold’s Fantasy Outlook
For the remainder of this article, we will assume Purdy is going to miss week 8 and Darnold will start in his place.
Darnold, of course, is no stranger to playing in the NFL. He started his career with the New York Jets and was the starting quarterback for all 38 games he appeared in from 2018-2020. He was with the Carolina Panthers the past two seasons, starting 17 of the 18 games he appeared in.
Darnold has averaged just under 200 yards per game, throwing 61 touchdowns, but 55 interceptions.
Darnold has never played on a team loaded with talent like the 49ers though. He could be missing a few of those talented players though, as wide receiver Deebo Samuel, offensive lineman Trent Williams and running back Christian McCaffrey are all on the injury report. McCaffrey played last week, so I’d expect him to give it a go this week. The team expects Williams back, but will be without Samuel unless something drastic happens.
Even without Samuel, Darnold will still have McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle to get the ball out to. Receiver Jauan Jennings should also be heavily involved. If the Niners want to help protect Darnold and avoid turnovers, maybe running backs Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason also get involved.
The point is, Darnold has more than enough weapons at his disposal to be successful against the Bengals, and Darnold is not your typical backup, so you shouldn’t expect some drastic dropoff for the running backs, wideouts and tight ends.
Who Can You Start in Week 8?
The 49ers, Bengals matchup is one of my favorite ones in week 8. It’s a battle of two teams that have some questions to answer. Cincy has started slow, while San Fran has struggled of late.
We’ll first analyze the matchup for Darnold. It’s a tougher matchup for him, as the Cincy defense allows just 15 fantasy points per game. The Bengals allow 231 passing yards and 23 rushing yards and have more interceptions (8) than touchdowns allowed (7). They’ve sacked the opposing quarterback 19 times.
Even with star players around him, I’d avoid starting Darnold if I could this week. He’s turnover prone, and I think the Bengals get him a time or two, which will make Darnold a below-average QB by the time week 8 wraps up.
McCaffrey and the 49ers’ backs have an average matchup, as Cincy allows 20 fantasy points a game. Backs average 100 rushing yards and 23 receiving yards, while scoring four total touchdowns.
McCaffrey is a fantasy star you need to be starting every week, even if he’s a big banged up. He scores every game, and has a good chance of scoring again with Darnold running the show. Even though I think one of Mitchell or Mason could play some more this week and get a few touches, it won’t be enough to start them in any format.
The matchup for the 49ers’ receivers is also an average one, as the Bengals’ defense allows 33 fantasy points a game. Wideouts average 159 receiving yards and have scored four touchdowns.
Having Darnold at QB probably drops the stock of any San Fran receiver a touch. With Samuel out, Aiyuk should again be the top target, but because Kittle can also steal targets, yards and scores, it makes starting Aiyuk a toss up in my book. I’d have to see your other options before making a final decision on Aiyuk. I’d stay away from Jennings in standard leagues, but give him some consideration in deeper leagues, where Aiyuk is a starter. I’d pass on all the team’s other wideouts.
Kittle has one of the better tight end matchups of the week, as Cincinnati allows 14 fantasy points a game, which is tied for the fourth most in the NFL. Tight ends average 50 yards and have scored four times.
I love this matchup for Kittle, and he will be a great safety valve for Darnold. This could be Kittle’s best game of the season from a catch and yardage perspective. I'd start him confidently.
