Fantasy Football Quarterback Late-Game Who Should I Start? Brock Purdy, Bo Nix, and More
Comparing Bock Purdy to four quarterbacks who he has been matched up with often on the FantasySP start/sit tool.
Brock Purdy returns today after missing six straight games and eight of the past nine. It's a disappointing start for a guy who signed a huge contract extension in the offseason, but the 49ers are 6-4 and still firmly in the playoff race, so Purdy now has the chance to solidify that spot for a team that has dealt with injuries all season.
With his return to a high-level passing game, it makes sense that Purdy is a popular fantasy name. He is showing up all over our FantasySP start/sit tool, as owners try to figure out his place in the fantasy hierarchy after missing most of the season to this point.
Let's look at Purdy and four quarterbacks who he has been matched up with often on the start/sit tool. We'll do a head-to-head quick-hit exercise to determine the best starter in each situation. Most stats are from NFL.com.
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Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals
Purdy played in Week 1 and Week 4. He was good in those games, averaging 293 passing yards per game on 8.0 per attempt. His four interceptions (to go with four touchdowns) weren't ideal, but that's a super-small sample, and Purdy was still productive otherwise.
Given what we've seen from Purdy and the 49ers in his career, I expect Purdy to get back to putting up numbers. He has done it since being forced into the lineup as a rookie, and Purdy has been one of the most efficient QBs in the league during that time.
The Cardinals offer a tougher matchup, as they have allowed the eighth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. San Francisco is a different animal, but only one team has reached 300 passing yards against Arizona, and it took them 55 pass attempts to get there. The Cards have also given up multiple passing TDs in just two of nine games.
We have seen San Francisco look as good as any other offense under Purdy and Kyle Shanahan; there's always upside with this team. The matchup is against him, though, and with Purdy returning after a long layoff, there is risk as to how sharp he will be right away.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Rams
There is a similar outlook for Darnold as there is for Purdy: Darnold has been as efficient as any quarterback in the league, averaging over 250 passing yards per game on 9.9 per attempt. That latter number is a full yard higher than any other player who has thrown at least 10 passes; Darnold has been absolutely on fire.
Also like Purdy, Darnold has a tough matchup here, as the Rams have allowed the seventh-fewest yards per pass attempt and the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. LA has given up 300 passing yards just twice; both games were against San Francisco with Mac Jones starting.
Advice: This is a tough one because Darnold has been so good that it's worth considering him as matchup-proof. He never runs the ball, which hurts his fantasy performance a bit, but Darnold has been phenomenal in 2025. It's close to a 50/50 pick, but I'll give Darnold the slight advantage because he has been playing all year (and excelling).
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Nix is a better fantasy player than real-life player, something that was true last year as well. He ranks as QB6, though he hasn't had his bye yet, which is a factor.
Nix does his best work with his legs, averaging over 20 rushing yards per game while scoring three times. He is throwing for 212.6 yards per game at just 6.1 per attempt, but his 18 touchdowns (versus eight interceptions) also help his fantasy performance.
The Chiefs are right in the middle in both yards per pass attempt allowed and fantasy points given up to quarterbacks, ranking a little better than average in the latter. Kansas City has a good-but-not-great defense, a step down from their dominant performance the last few years.
Advice: Nix's rushing ability is what makes this decision tough. Purdy is a much better thrower of the football and probably has better playmakers around him, but Nix makes up that difference with his legs. Because of that, I am giving the slight advantage to Nix, but this is another razor-thin margin between the two players.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys @ Las Vegas Raiders
Prescott has been a volume king, ranking sixth in total passing yards but doing it at 7.0 yards per attempt, which is right around average. His 17 touchdowns are tied for seventh, and Prescott ranked as QB10 entering Week 11.
The Raiders have allowed the 12th-fewest yards per pass attempt and rank just a little better than average in terms of fantasy points given up to QBs. It seems like Las Vegas would be a team to target given how bad they have looked overall, but the defense has surprisingly been the better unit, leaving this as a middling matchup at best.
Advice: Start Brock Purdy over Dak Prescott. I started this section thinking that Prescott might be the better option, but he has slowed down over the past few weeks with tougher matchups against he Broncos and Cardinals, and Vegas is formidable enough to bring Prescott down just a bit.
Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Dallas Cowboys
Opposing Prescott is Smith, who is second behind Tua Tagovailoa in interceptions and has taken a big step backward in both efficiency and ball control after joining Las Vegas in the offseason. Most numbers are down for Smith from the past three seasons starting in Seattle, and he has a lack of playmakers around him, so things probably aren't going to get much better.
The matchup is what gives him fantasy relevance this week, though, as the Cowboys have given up the second-most yards per pass attempt and the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. It's not an exaggeration to say that Dallas presents the best matchup available to QBs (though a few other teams could argue that they are worse).
Advice: This is a tough one, as Purdy is the much superior player based on what we have seen from Smith this season, but the matchup is so heavily in Smith's favor that it's impossible to ignore. This turns into another 50/50 choice, but I will actually give the slight advantage to Smith because Dallas has been SO bad against the pass.
