The San Francisco 49ers will face the Buffalo Bills in Week 13. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding QB Brock Purdy.
Is Brock Purdy Playing in Week 13?
Updated at 6:50 PM ET on Sunday, December 1
Purdy is active for tonight's game.
After missing Week 12 due to a right shoulder injury, Purdy was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday before a full session on Friday. He was declared questionable on the final injury report, but head coach Kyle Shanahan said he expected his starting QB to return.
Purdy was also limited for last week’s Wednesday session. He went limited again last Thursday before being downgraded and ruled out on Friday.
Purdy’s upward trajectory at practice this week was a great sign. The clearest sign of his return arrived on Friday, when he threw at practice and backup quarterback Brandon Allen occupied a scout team role.
Allen completed 17 of 29 attempts for 199 yards, one touchdown, and one interception vs. Green Bay. He earned a C (72.8) in PFN’s QB+ grades, No. 19 among 26 quarterbacks who played in Week 12.
We’ll continue to monitor the 49ers injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Brock Purdy in Week 13?
Brock Purdy (right shoulder) sat out last week against the Packers. Advanced testing showed no structural damage, leading to cautious optimism that he’ll return to the lineup this week. Should that be the case, I think there’s a possibility Purdy gives us a borderline QB1 performance.
The Bills excel at shutting down opponents from big perimeter plays, but this 49ers offense is happy to focus on the shorter passing game and let their athletes work in space.
Purdy has completed 71.9% of his passes since Christian McCaffrey returned to the field, and I don’t think that’s an accident. He has a quartet of top-six finishes this season, thanks in part to four rushing scores over his past four games.
No, he’s not Lamar Jackson. He’s not even Daniel Jones when it comes to athleticism, but Purdy is mobile enough to raise his fantasy floor, which I think will help this week against a patient Buffalo defense.
If we get a clean bill of health entering the weekend, Purdy will move inside of my top 15 quarterbacks.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Brock Purdy’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of 8 AM ET on Sunday morning, Purdy is projected to score 15.2 fantasy points in Week 13. This includes 202.7 passing yards, 1.4 passing touchdowns, and 0.6 interceptions. It also includes 3 rushing attempts for 10.9 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Bills' Defense
We always thought this would be a rebuilding year for the Buffalo Bills defense, and so far, it's proven to be the case. After finishing as a top-seven defense in each of the last three seasons, Buffalo has dropped outside the top 10 this year.
Still, it hasn't been as bad as feared, with just three weeks ranking outside the top 20 and six weeks inside the top 12.
The Bills have excelled this year in forcing turnovers, ranking second. They are also a top-10 unit against the run, although they are below average against the pass.
One solid element has been Buffalo's red-zone defense, allowing touchdowns on just 51.3% of trips (12th), meaning they are allowing just 1.84 points per drive (ninth).
We've seen frailties against good offenses, such as the Cardinals, Ravens, Dolphins, and Chiefs. That could present a potential issue when the competition level improves in the playoffs.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Brock Purdy’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 10:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 1. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 13 QB PPR Rankings
1) Jalen Hurts | PHI (at BAL)
2) Josh Allen | BUF (vs. SF)
3) Lamar Jackson | BAL (vs. PHI)
4) Justin Herbert | LAC (at ATL)
5) Jayden Daniels | WAS (vs. TEN)
6) Joe Burrow | CIN (vs. PIT)
7) Kyler Murray | ARI (at MIN)
8) C.J. Stroud | HOU (at JAX)
9) Tua Tagovailoa | MIA (at GB)
10) Patrick Mahomes | KC (vs. LV)
11) Baker Mayfield | TB (at CAR)
12) Bo Nix | DEN (vs. CLE)
13) Russell Wilson | PIT (at CIN)
14) Anthony Richardson | IND (at NE)
15) Brock Purdy | SF (at BUF)
16) Jordan Love | GB (vs. MIA)
17) Jared Goff | DET (vs. CHI)
18) Sam Darnold | MIN (vs. ARI)
19) Drake Maye | NE (vs. IND)
20) Matthew Stafford | LAR (at NO)
21) Kirk Cousins | ATL (vs. LAC)
22) Geno Smith | SEA (at NYJ)
23) Derek Carr | NO (vs. LAR)
24) Jameis Winston | CLE (at DEN)
25) Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (vs. SEA)
26) Caleb Williams | CHI (at DET)
27) Bryce Young | CAR (vs. TB)
28) Drew Lock | NYG (at DAL)
29) Cooper Rush | DAL (vs. NYG)
30) Will Levis | TEN (at WAS)
31) Mac Jones | JAX (vs. HOU)
32) Trevor Lawrence | JAX (vs. HOU)
33) Aidan O'Connell | LV (at KC)
San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills Trends
San Francisco 49ers
Team: The 49ers have lost consecutive games on two separate occasions this season – the last time they did that was in 2020.
QB: Brandon Allen was fine when not pressured (75% complete), but was just two-of-nine when feeling the heat.
Offense: The 49ers averaged 2.31 points per drive in Weeks 1-11, a rate that dropped to 0.83 under Allen in Lambeau on Sunday.
Defense: San Francisco creates pressure on 36.3% of non-blitzed dropbacks, the sixth-highest rate in the league through 12 weeks.
Fantasy: Is there a more difficult player to rank with confidence annually than Deebo Samuel Sr.?
- 2021: 37.6% production over expectation
- 2022: 13.7% production under expectations
- 2023: 35.2% production over expectations
- 2024: 10.2% production under expectations
Betting: Over tickets have come through in each of the 49ers’ past five primetime games.
Buffalo Bills
Team: A seventh straight win would match Buffalo’s longest single-season run of the 2000s (2022).
QB: Why is Josh Allen’s interception rate (1.5%) trending for a career-low? His quick pass rate sits at 67%, easily a career-high (2023: 58.4%).
Offense: The Bills have picked at least 50% of their third downs in four straight games (one such effort in their first seven games).
Defense: Buffalo is allowing opponents to convert 40.8% of third downs, its worst rate since 2012 (44%).
Defense: Patience. The Bills blitz at the third lowest rate, joining the Eagles and Ravens in the bottom-5 of that stat as teams with Super Bowl dreams.
Fantasy: James Cook has six RB1 finishes this season, thanks to having eight more rushing touchdowns on 100 fewer carries than a season ago.
Betting: Overs have cashed in six straight Buffalo home games.