Who Should I Start? Patrick Mahomes or Sam Darnold

Wednesday, December 17, 1:21 PM

Kansas City Chiefs head trainer Rick Burkholder said that quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee) was operated on quickly to fix the LCL part of his ACL/LCL knee injury that he suffered in Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, according to Jesse Newell of The Athletic. Mahomes has started his rehab in Dallas this week and will continue through Thursday before returning to KC. The fact that the 30-year-old tore both his ACL and LCL will make his recovery more complicated, but reports suggest that Mahomes is "hellbent" on returning for the Week 1 season opener in 2026. For the final three weeks of the 2025 season, Gardner Minshew will run KC's offense, which is an obvious downgrade for all of the Chiefs' offensive skill players. Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl MVP, threw for 3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 14 games in 2025 in his ninth NFL season.

Wednesday, December 17, 10:36 PM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is not a streaming option in Week 16 against the Los Angeles Rams. Darnold has been in a bit of a slump over the last few weeks. He is turning the ball over far too much, and he is not throwing touchdowns. The last time these two teams met, Darnold threw four interceptions in one of the worst games of his career. While you should not expect a repeat of that performance, Darnold's touchdown upside will be capped with him, and the Seahawks' offense as a whole has been struggling to find the end zone over the past few weeks. The Rams have been one of the best defenses in the league this season. With the Seahawks boasting a stellar defense of their own, this could be a low-scoring affair on a short week. With everything on the line in the fantasy football playoffs, Darnold is not someone you want to hitch your wagon to in Week 16.