Who Should I Start? Andy Dalton or Sam Darnold

Thursday, October 30, 4:17 PM

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton (thumb) was listed as a limited practice participant on Thursday after being held out of practice on Wednesday due to a thumb injury. Dalton started in place of Bryce Young (ankle) in Carolina's Week 8 game against the Buffalo Bills and struggled, completing 16 of 24 pass attempts for 175 yards and an interception. Young has logged two straight full practices heading into Friday, so he appears to be tracking towards returning in Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers. If neither Dalton nor Young were available to play, veteran journeyman Mike White would likely get the start. Fantasy managers should likely avoid whoever the Panthers' starting quarterback is in Week 9, given the difficult matchup on the road in Green Bay.

Friday, October 31, 6:33 PM

Hopefully, you rostered Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (chest) through his bye week because he draws a great matchup with the Washington Commanders on Sunday. The Commanders' defense has had trouble stopping opposing passing offenses with a leaky secondary. Darnold should have no issues spreading the ball around to his various wide receivers all day. Prior to a tough matchup with the Texans in Week 7, Darnold had notched five straight games with at least 16.08 fantasy points. While those are no world-beating numbers, they are enough to anchor your fantasy team at the quarterback position. Darnold's superpower this year has been his lack of turnovers. The Commanders have had difficulty forcing turnovers all season long. They only have four interceptions in eight games. Darnold should be rostered for the rest of the season as a QB2 with upside. However, he should absolutely be in lineups in a week in which the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles, and their respective quarterbacks, are on a bye. Darnold was dealing with a chest injury all week, but he logged three full practice days. The injury should be of no concern.