Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Sam Darnold
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20.5 | 3.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Kirk Cousins News
Monday, August 24, 5:53 PM
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins was listed as the starter on the team's unofficial depth chart ahead of their preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers. According to head coach Klint Kubiak, Cousins has taken most of the first-team reps in practice and that it is "his job to lose." The veteran quarterback signed a two-year, $12.6 million deal with the Raiders this offseason and was set to compete with first-overall pick Fernando Mendoza for the starting job. With Cousins and most of the starting offense not playing in the team's second preseason game against the Houston Texans, it points to the 15th-year quarterback starting in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. Even if Cousins is named the starting quarterback this season, his lack of weapons and rushing ability leaves him as an irrelevant piece in fantasy this season.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.2 | 8.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Sam Darnold News
Tuesday, August 25, 8:18 PM
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has a talented group of weapons around him at wide receiver, running back, and tight end. Although Jake Bobo (knee) went down with a season-ending ACL tear, this is still a very talented wide receiver room headlined by Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and Rashid Shaheed. All three have different skill sets that should give Darnold plenty of options in the passing game. At tight end, AJ Barner is coming off a big 2025 campaign, while Elijah Arroyo has a second-round draft stock. Meanwhile, the Seahawks have an impressive backfield featuring Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet (knee). Rounding out the offense is a very dependable offensive line. The Seahawks didn't make many additions in the trenches, but mostly because it was already a strong unit. Grey Zabel and Charles Cross are terrific blindside protectors for Darnold, who only took 27 sacks last year (as opposed to 48 in 2024 with Minnesota). Despite having limited mobility, the veteran signal caller has ranked as a top-13 quarterback in fantasy football for each of the last two seasons. He enters the 2026 season as the QB23 in RotoBaller's latest draft rankings.
Kirk Cousins vs. Sam Darnold
Still trying to decide between Cousins and Darnold? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Kirk Cousins is projected to score 20.5 points this week while Sam Darnold is projected to score 21.2 points.
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