Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers

Preseason: 11-of-18, 107 yards passing, INT; 14 rushing yards

2023 Season: 308-of-444, 4,280 yards passing, 31 TDs, 11 INTs

The 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk agreed on an extension to conclude a long offseason of negotiations. With Aiyuk contractually tied to San Francisco for the long haul, Purdy’s stock rises ahead of Week 1.

Even though the 49ers had the fewest pass attempts last season, thanks in part to 11 impressive 12-plus-point victories, Purdy still finished within the top five in passing yards (4,280) and touchdowns (31).

San Francisco may not dominate its 2024 schedule as it did in 2023, and the coaching staff might lighten up on running back Christian McCaffrey’s workload, which is why it could have been important to retain Aiyuk.

Purdy won’t provide the rushing production you want in a Tier 1 quarterback. Still, with a little more passing volume, he could be top-five among signal-callers in fantasy scoring after finishing as QB6 in standard scoring leagues last year.

Buy Purdy for: Dak Prescott, Tua Tagovailoa, Jared Goff

Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Denver Broncos

Preseason: 10 carries, 47 yards

2023 Season: 76 carries, 410 yards, TD; 31 catches, 160 yards, 2 TDs

While rookie quarterback Bo Nix will garner most of the attention in the Broncos offense, take a look at head coach Sean Payton’s track record with running backs. His history suggests you should pick up RB2 on his roster.

Between 2016 and 2020, Payton’s top two New Orleans Saints running backs racked up at least 748 scrimmage yards. His backfields featured Mark Ingram II and Tim Hightower, Ingram and Alvin Kamara, and Kamara and Latavius Murray during that five-year stretch.

Last year, Broncos reserve tailbacks Samaje Perine and McLaughlin combined for 1,263 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns.

Denver released Perine as one of its final cuts. As a result, McLaughlin could see a spike in his touch volume as Javonte Williams’ primary backup. Last year, McLaughlin accumulated 570 scrimmage yards and scored three touchdowns.

Buy McLaughlin for: Gus Edwards, Tyler Allgeier, Ty Chandler

Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys

2023 Season: 71 catches, 761 yards, 5 TDs

The Cowboys made a massive investment in wideout CeeDee Lamb, signing him to a four-year, $136 million extension, but they didn’t add a No. 2 wideout to compete with Brandin Cooks and third-year pro Jalen Tolbert, which bodes well for Ferguson.

In 2023, Ferguson finished second on the Cowboys in targets (102), catches (71) and receiving yards (761). Without any new competitors for targets, he could top his receiving numbers from the previous year.

The Cowboys don’t have a proven robust running back, which means Dak Prescott may be among the league leaders in passing attempts this year. If so, Ferguson should be talked about as a top-five tight end. Last year, he finished as TE9 and is TE10 in average draft position (ADP).

Buy Ferguson for: David Njoku, Dallas Goedert, Dalton Schultz