Is Brock Purdy The 49ers' Starting Quarterback in 2023? Fantasy Football Outlook

The San Francisco 49ers started three quarterbacks last season and played its fourth-string signal caller in the NFC Championship game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. That said, the uncertainty of the future at QB for the 49ers has been a popular topic of discussion this offseason.

Jimmy Garoppolo is now in Las Vegas, Trey Lance is recovering from a broken ankle, and Brock Purdy underwent surgery to repair his torn UCL. However, it looks like we might have an early favorite in the Lance vs. Purdy battle to be the 49ers' QB1 come September.

How did Brock Purdy play in 2022 and is he the 49ers' starting quarterback for 2032? Let's dive in.

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Brock Purdy 2022 Season Review

In nine regular season games taking over for Lance (ankle) and Garoppolo (foot), Purdy completed 114 of his 170 passing attempts for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Purdy started five games in regular season play, winning all of them.

The last overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft then won two playoff games before suffering an injury in the loss to the Eagles in the NFC title game. In three postseason outings, Purdy completed over 65% of his passes for 569 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

The Niners eventually had to play veteran journeyman QB Josh Johnson, but then he suffered a concussion, leaving Purdy as the only active QB. Purdy could do nothing more than hand the ball off and throw screen passes with a torn UCL.

Either way, it was a heck of a start for a rookie QB who was never supposed to see action.

Is Brock Purdy The 49ers' Starting Quarterback in 2023?

According to 49ers' general managers John Lynch, Purdy is the early favorite to be the team's starting gun-slinger in 2023. We can't always take what a general manager or coach says as fact, but it's notable he went out of his way to express where Purdy stands.

Until now, a big part of the fantasy football community has assumed Lance will start since he was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, but that might not be the case. If Purdy eventually is declared the clear-cut starter, it'll be interesting to see if Lance is traded soon thereafter.

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