Who Should I Start? Patrick Mahomes or Sam Darnold

Saturday, September 6, 12:14 AM

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 24 of his 39 pass attempts for 258 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions during Friday's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He also added 57 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. While the Chiefs came up short in Brazil, Mahomes still had a solid fantasy showing. Specifically, he played turnover-free football and was able to make things happen both on the ground and through the air. He'll drop to the low-end QB1 range heading into next week's clash with the Philadelphia Eagles, who just limited Dak Prescott to 188 passing yards.

Friday, September 5, 2:19 PM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is not worth starting in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers project to have a solid defense with coordinator Robert Saleh back in the fold, and it remains to be seen if Darnold's breakout season in 2024 was a mirage. However, Darnold's level of play is worth monitoring in Week 1. He is joining an offense coordinated by Klint Kubiak with ties back to Darnold's year in San Francisco as a backup quarterback. The offense is going to play to Darnold's strengths, and he could very well succeed at a high level this season. Darnold is coming off a season in which he was the QB9 in Minnesota. While we certainly do not expect that of Darnold without wide receiver Justin Jefferson in 2025, he could still be an excellent streamer or QB2. Watch Darnold closely in Week 1. Even solid success against the 49ers' defense would suggest that we are in for another season of fantasy fun with the eight-year veteran.