Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Sam Darnold
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.0 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Matthew Stafford News
Friday, August 28, 7:44 PM
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is coming off a top-three finish in fantasy football, and he should remain a strong QB1 option as long as he has Puka Nacua and Davante Adams at his disposal. Now 38, Stafford has shown no signs of slowing down. He won the league MVP award last year with 4,707 passing yards, 46 touchdowns, and eight interceptions to his name. His lack of rushing ability may prevent him from being the overall QB1, but he certainly has a chance to replicate last year's QB3 mark. One factor to consider is a potential suspension to Puka Nacua, which could sideline him for one or multiple games. However, in the one game that Nacua missed last year, Stafford threw for five touchdowns. In the end, we're not overly concerned about his fantasy outlook if Nacua (or Davante Adams, for that matter) has a short-term absence. He's somewhat of a steal at his current ADP of 104.9, which makes him the 12th quarterback off the board in fantasy drafts.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.2 | 8.6 | 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.
Matthew Stafford vs. Sam Darnold
Still trying to decide between Stafford and Darnold? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Matthew Stafford is projected to score 24.0 points this week while Sam Darnold is projected to score 22.2 points.
Latest Fantasy News
