Perfect Passer Rating for Purdy | Week 11 Risers and Fallers

by Jonathan Lange · Studs and Duds
Brock Purdy QB rating

Welcome back to Risers and Fallers, where we observe the polarizing performances of players for the weekend. The Risers bring a perfect Brock Purdy QB rating, a newly crowned RB1 in Pittsburgh, while the Fallers hold a big rookie bust from the 2023 receiver class. The hunt for the fantasy playoffs is heating up, and with three games coming on Thursday this week, it’s important we make the correct moves for our fantasy rosters mid-week. Let’s get started with our Risers from the Week 11.

Risers

Jaylen Warren, RB — Pittsburgh Steelers

While the Steelers and Browns were doing their part to set back modern NFL offenses, Jaylen Warren had a statement game for the season. Warren finished with 129 yards rushing on only nine carries, including a 74-yard touchdown. The Steelers declared Warren the RB1 moving forward, and yet Najee Harris has out-touched him the last three games. Warren has produced more rushing yards than Harris over that span.

Over the first five weeks of the season, the Steelers had only one game with a rusher finishing with 70 yards or more. Over the last five games, they have had four 70-yard rushing performances. The offensive line is showing signs of improvement, and the backfield may be Warren’s moving forward.

D.J. Moore, WR — Chicago Bears

Over the last three games without Justin Fields, D.J. Moore‘s longest reception was 18 yards. On Sunday, his longest reception was a 39-yard touchdown. He finished with seven receptions for 96 yards. Moore was able to dink and dunk his way to WR3 relevancy with Tyson Bagent, but with Fields back, he now has WR1 potential. Outside of a matchup with the Browns, the future schedule for the Bears is not an imposing one. Moore is locked in as the No. 1 target on the offense, and he’s going to get fed whether it’s Fields or Bagent. Whatever the case, it was a pleasant sight to see Moore get a deep end zone reception.

Brock Purdy, QB—San Fransisco 49ers

The former Riser is back again, and football fans need to put respect on Brock Purdy’s name. Purdy played a perfect game on Sunday, completing 21 of 25 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the game with a perfect Passer Rating of 153.8, becoming the first quarterback in 49ers history to do so since Joe Montana in 1989.

Purdy is the second quarterback to finish with a perfect passer rating this year, joining Josh Allen. He’s a top-10 QB moving forward. Take a look at the potential starting quarterbacks this week: Jordan Love, Bryce Young, Baker Mayfield, and Kenny Pickett. I could keep going, but it gets a little sickening. I also played nice without listing the backups that will be replacing injured starters. Purdy is a top-10 QB rest of season, and he’s encroaching on a top-10 dynasty QB ranking.

Jayden Reed, WR — Green Bay Packers

After his breakout game in Week 2, Jayden Reed has been relatively quiet in his rookie season. On Sunday, he reminded everyone why he was so hyped in the offseason, taking an end around 32 yards for a score against the Chargers. He finished with a modest four receptions for 46 yards. He would add two more carries to finish as the team’s leading rusher. Of course, it was against the struggling Chargers defense, and it is hard to count on Reed for consistent production when Jordan Love has been so inconsistent. But if Love can put it together, Reed can evolve into an every-week starter rather than a WR3, depending on the weekly matchup. He deserves more attention from the fantasy community.

Fallers

Quentin Johnston, WR—Los Angeles Chargers

Despite losing Josh Palmer and Mike Williams, we have yet to see Quentin Johnston leave his mark on the offense. On Sunday, we saw why he’s been slowly brought along. Johnston finished second on the team in routes run Sunday, but finished with only two receptions for 21 yards. He had six targets in the game, but the target that will be embedded in everyone’s mind was his last one of the game.

Johnston got behind the defense in the last minute of the game, Justin Herbert delivered a perfect pass, and the ball went right through Johnston’s hands. Jordan Addison, Zay Flowers, and even Jaxon Smith-Njigba have all outperformed the fellow rookie receiver despite the wide-open depth chart he’s been given. Johnston is in the right situation, surrounded by the right players, yet he looks destined to be the 1st round wide receiver bust from the 2023 draft class.

Kenny Pickett, QB — Pittsburgh Steelers

We know where we are with Kenny Pickett now. He is not a good quarterback. I know that Matt Canada has contributed to a broken passing game, but a coach can only take so much blame. Sunday, Pickett went 15 for 28, and finished with 106 passing yards passing. I understand the Browns defense is playing at an elite level, but this wasn’t a rainy game with 40-mph wind gusts.

Pickett is not it. With no Joe Burrow, this Steelers team is going to come in 1st or 2nd in the division and convince themselves that Pickett is an offensive coordinator change away from being an above average quarterback in the NFL. Don’t fall for the trap.

Derrick Henry, RB—Tennessee Titans

I wrote about Derrick Henry not long ago as a potential faller, fully afraid of the wrath he would unleash on opposing defenses late in the season. Sunday against the Jaguars felt like that smash spot we usually see for Henry. Instead, he finished with 38 rushing yards. It was his second straight week with under 40 yards rushing. He’s finished only three weeks as RB10 or higher.

This Titans offense is in a bad place, and Will Levis has regressed from his smash start from four weeks ago. The Titans do have upcoming matchups against favorable rush defenses like the Panthers and the Colts. But Henry is no longer the assured, locked-in RB starter we have seen in previous seasons.

Marquise Brown, WR — Arizona Cardinals

Fantasy managers who drafted Marquise Brown have been waiting for the return of Kyler Murray to pay off for Brown. It appears they will have to keep waiting for a breakout game. Since Murray’s return, Brown has a combined three receptions for 46 yards over two games.

Brown has been outproduced by Rondale Moore, Trey McBride, and Greg Dortch over this two-game span. The concerning issue isn’t that he hasn’t clicked yet with Murray; it’s that he hasn’t taken advantage of the average secondaries he’s faced over the past two games. Brown should have a boom game soon; he’s far too talented to be blanked out for the remainder of the season. But it may take longer for the investment to pay off.

Conclusion

Jaylen Warren, DJ Moore, Brock Purdy, and Jayden Reed are the Risers this week. Quentin Johnston, Kenny Pickett, Derrick Henry, and Marquise Brown are the Fallers. The actionable advice this week is simple: enjoy time with friends and family and a full day of football. And, yes, don’t forget to place your waiver claims and set lineups this week! There were plenty of injuries, and there should be plenty of options on the wire.