Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or Sam Darnold

BENCH

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
18.4 11.8 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

Geno Smith News

Geno Smith is Voted Jets Captain

Thursday, September 3, 6:01 PM

New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith was voted as a captain by his teammates ahead of the 2026 season, according to the team's official website. Smith hasn't played in a regular-season game for the Jets since the 2016 season. He's back after having a resurgence with the Seattle Seahawks and Raiders over the last four years. We'll see what the 35-year-old still has left in the tank after throwing 17 interceptions with the Raiders last season. It's nice to see the Jets players respecting Smith enough to give him the captain status, even with this being his first year back in New York in over a decade.

START

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
21.9 8.6 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

Sam Darnold News

Sam Darnold Not in Streaming Conversation for Week 1

Tuesday, September 8, 2:37 PM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is not in the streaming conversation when Seattle hosts the New England Patriots in Week 1. The Patriots boast a quality defense, and this feels like a game in which Seattle will rely more heavily on the running game. The Patriots were near the top of the pack against opposing quarterbacks in fantasy in 2025 as well. While they were not exactly facing the most quality opponents, this was still a defense that took care of business when it needed to. Darnold was the QB13 in 2025 due to his scorching first half of the season. However, the Seahawks' offensive strategy shifted down the stretch once Darnold began to struggle with turnovers. Darnold turned it around for the playoffs, but there are plenty of other quarterback options in Week 1 who have a narrower range of outcomes. Leave Darnold on waivers for this week.

Geno Smith vs. Sam Darnold

Still trying to decide between Smith and Darnold? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Geno Smith is projected to score 18.4 points this week while Sam Darnold is projected to score 21.9 points.