Sam Darnold has authored one of the most improbable career arcs the NFL has ever seen. He went from a punchline in New York to a 14-win season in Minnesota to a Super Bowl champion in Seattle. The real-life résumé now looks nothing like the one he carried five years ago. Fantasy football is a different question entirely.
Should I Draft Sam Darnold in Fantasy Football?
Let me set the stage, because the story matters here. After being left for dead following his failed stint with the New York Jets, Darnold bounced around the league several times before landing in Minnesota. With the aid of Kevin O’Connell, he completely revitalized his career. It is one of the most unprecedented turnarounds in NFL history. This was a true laughingstock, a guy whose “seeing ghosts” comment followed him everywhere, and he catapulted the Vikings to 14 wins in 2024.
Then Minnesota inexplicably went with the proverbial mystery box in JJ McCarthy over the boat in Darnold (real ones get that reference). They knew exactly what they had. Yet they opted for the unknown who, at his absolute best, would probably become what Darnold already was. It did not work out for the Vikings. It worked out great for Darnold, who signed with the Seattle Seahawks and is now a Super Bowl champion.
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Here is where the fantasy reality diverges from the real-life triumph. As great as Darnold has been, the fantasy production took a serious hit in Seattle. This is a team built on rushing and defense, not on airing it out. Darnold attempted 4.0 fewer passes per game with the Seahawks than he did with the Vikings, and the numbers followed accordingly. He went from 18.1 fantasy points per game in 2024 to just 13.8 PPG in 2025.
That is not a viable fantasy starter. Not close.
The bigger issue is what the full body of work tells us. Darnold is entering his ninth NFL season, and he has been a worthwhile fantasy starter in exactly one of them. That lone 2024 campaign is the outlier, not the baseline. He is unquestionably a far better quarterback now than he was in his early years, but nine seasons is a large sample for a 29-year-old, and the sample says he is a fantasy backup.
There is a legitimate case for a bump this year. Kenneth Walker III is in Kansas City and Zach Charbonnet is working back from a torn ACL, which leaves Seattle’s backfield in a genuinely uncertain spot. It is entirely possible, maybe even likely, that this team throws more than it did a year ago. More volume would help.
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Even so, that does not change what Darnold should be to fantasy managers. He is my QB22, a couple of spots ahead of his QB24 ADP, and that small gap is me acknowledging the potential for added attempts. It is not an endorsement.
Darnold should not be selected in any single-quarterback fantasy draft. He will undoubtedly make multiple appearances throughout the season as a weekly streamer, and there will be weeks where the matchup makes him a perfectly fine plug-in option. That is his role. He should not be anybody’s plan in Week 1.
Katz’s QB Fantasy Rankings 2026
- Josh Allen | BUF
- Lamar Jackson | BAL
- Drake Maye | NE
- Jayden Daniels | WAS
- Jalen Hurts | PHI
- Joe Burrow | CIN
- Jaxson Dart | NYG
- Justin Herbert | LAC
- Caleb Williams | CHI
- Trevor Lawrence | JAX
- Dak Prescott | DAL
- Brock Purdy | SF
- Patrick Mahomes II | KC
- Bo Nix | DEN
- Kyler Murray | MIN
- Jared Goff | DET
- Matthew Stafford | LAR
- Malik Willis | MIA
- Jordan Love | GB
- Tyler Shough | NO
- Baker Mayfield | TB
- Sam Darnold | SEA
- C.J. Stroud | HOU
- Bryce Young | CAR
- Daniel Jones | IND
- Jacoby Brissett | ARI
- Cam Ward | TEN
- Geno Smith | NYJ
- Tua Tagovailoa | ATL
- Michael Penix Jr. | ATL
- Deshaun Watson | CLE
- Kirk Cousins | LV
