Who Should I Start? Andy Dalton or Sam Darnold

Monday, September 25, 2:32 PM

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton completed 34 of his 58 passing attempts for 361 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions in the 27-37 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3. It was an impressive performance for the 35-year-old, who started in the absence of Bryce Young (ankle). Wide receivers Adam Thielen and DJ Chark both racked up at least 86 yards and a touchdown. If Young is out again in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings, Dalton will have upside in another favorable matchup for quarterbacks. However, it's important not to overreact to his big performance. He should not be started over big-name fantasy signal-callers.

Wednesday, May 8, 11:20 PM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold could be named the team's Week 1 starter over first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. As Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com writes, "It's only a matter of time before McCarthy becomes the Vikings' starting quarterback [...] but it is not likely to happen as quickly as some fans might hope, and if anything, the Vikings are poised to err on the side of methodical caution." Such a scenario could see Minnesota let Darnold, whom they signed this past offseason when Kirk Cousins left for Atlanta, start a few games before transitioning to McCarthy. Darnold has struggled to support major fantasy production from his playmakers at previous stops, including the Jets and Panthers, so fantasy managers might want to temper expectations with players like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson to start the year. Darnold himself falls to the low-end QB3 tier in fantasy football drafts.