Who Should I Start? Jacoby Brissett or Sam Darnold

Sunday, October 27, 11:06 PM

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett relieved rookie Drake Maye (head) during the second quarter of Sunday's game against the New York Jets. He finished the first half and was eventually declared the quarterback for the second half, too, after Maye was downgraded to out. Brissett finished Week 8 having completed 15 of 24 passes for 132 yards, plus one sack and 11 rushing yards. He failed to score a touchdown, but more importantly, he played turnover-free football and led an efficient game-winning drive near the end of the fourth quarter. In the event that Maye enters concussion protocol and misses Week 9 against the Titans, Brissett would temporarily return to the starting quarterback role. He's still off the fantasy radar in most leagues.

Tuesday, January 14, 4:51 PM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold resurrected his career by leading the Vikings to 14 wins in 2024 while posting career-highs in passing yards (4,319) and touchdowns (35), but he came crashing down hard in losses to the Detroit Lions in Week 18 and the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round in which he had a combined 23 off-target throws and took 11 sacks. Darnold's future is now as unsettled as ever as he heads toward free agency in March, but ESPN's Jeremy Fowler writes that Darnold is still the top free-agent QB. The teams that Fowler has spoken with recently forecasted Darnold in the Geno Smith/Baker Mayfield weight class of contracts. Mayfield got a three-year, $100 million deal last offseason with Tampa, while Smith signed a three-year, $75 million deal before the 2023 season. Darnold tanked to end the year, but he did enough to find work as a starter somewhere else if Minnesota doesn't want him back.