The San Francisco 49ers travel to face the Buffalo Bills in Week 13 and should have a key contributor back for the Sunday Night Football matchup. Quarterback Brock Purdy is expected to return after a shoulder injury sidelined him for Week 12.
Brock Purdy injury update
Purdy was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but was upgraded to a full participant on Friday. A week ago, he was limited on Wednesday and Thursday, but then was downgraded to a DNP on Friday.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan met with the media on Friday and he said that he expects Purdy to play on Sunday, per Jennifer Lee Chan. The team will announce inactives at 6:50 p.m. ET.
Fantasy football impact
Purdy will be back with a full healthy Christian McCaffrey, who was a full participant on Thursday and Friday, and was removed from the final injury report. The bigger concern heading into this game is the state of the 49ers offensive line. The team ruled out left tackle Trent Williams and left guard Aaron Banks.
Purdy met with the media on Friday and offered some depth chart clarity. He said that Jaylon Moore will start at left tackle and Ben Bartch will start at left guard, per Jennifer Lee Chan.
The 49ers offensive line enters Week 13 tied for third in adjusted line yards and tied for eighth in adjust sack percentage. The Bills defensive front ranks seventh in adjusted line yards and 20th in adjusted sack percentage. This isn’t exactly a battle of the best in the trenches, but it’s safe to say we can expect the Bills to come hard at the left side of the 49ers offensive line.
If the 49ers line struggles, this could result in that much more work in the short pass game. Purdy has a lower floor in this game due to the 49ers numerous injuries. He’s got some key weapons available, and McCaffrey has had a few games to get back into midseason shape. It offers some decent ceiling there, but this might be a game to avoid Purdy.
And if you’re worried about the weather, it’s probably not going to be a big concern. It will be cold, but most of the snow is coming earlier in the day. They should get the snow cleared out and so it likely won’t be too much of an impact. Any wind would be a bigger issue. Right now wind is projected around 17 mph with gusts up to 28 mph. It’s not ridiculous, but it could be enough to cause some issues in the passing game.
