SamDarnold

News: 4 days agoDarnold completed 20 of 26 passes for 198 yards in Saturday's 13-3 win over the 49ers. He added six rushes for nine yards.

Spin: The Seahawks played from ahead for nearly the entire matchup and were able to rely on their very effective run game. Darnold only needed to be a game manager as a result, and he played the role effectively. He didn't make any key mistakes, was sacked only twice, and had five completions of at least 15 yards. Darnold will likely be tested more in the postseason, but he will have an additional week of rest, as Seattle locked in the top seed in the NFC with the win.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Darnold signed with Seattle after enjoying a breakout 2024 campaign in Minnesota. Playing with the lead often (league-high 53% of plays) in Kevin O'Connell's QB-friendly scheme, Darnold finished top 10 among QBs in pass attempts, completions, pass yards, pass TDs, INTs, sacks and carries. He had multiple TD passes in 12 games and had a solid fantasy floor with 16-plus points in 12 games. Despite the big box score numbers, Darnold finished "only" 18th in QBR and isn't going to move the needle much with his legs (career high in rush yards is 222), so it's fair to expect a step back in a Klint Kubiak-led offense that swapped out DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett for Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Darnold is best valued as a fringe QB2 with minimal upside.