Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield
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
Friday, August 14, 1:31 PM
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said that quarterback Sam Darnold will not play in the team's preseason opener on Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys, according to FOX 13 Seattle's Curtis Crabtree. Backup QBs Drew Lok and Jalen Milroe will likely rotate series instead of handing off. Darnold surprised everyone by winning the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots in his first year in Seattle in 2025. The 29-year-old former third overall pick from USC in 2018 has been a Pro Bowler in back-to-back seasons now as a late-bloomer in the NFL, and he's thrown for over 4,000 yards with an even 60 touchdowns and 26 interceptions in 34 regular-season starts with the Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings. Darnold has arguably one of the top receivers in the game to work with in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but his strong season in 2025 with Seattle culminated in only a QB13 finish in fantasy. He's now learning a new offense and doesn't have star RB Kenneth Walker around in the backfield, which screams regression. Darnold might have a solid QB2 floor in fantasy, but he's merely a bench stash in single-QB, 12-team leagues.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.8 | 17.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Baker Mayfield News
Thursday, August 20, 5:59 AM
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is excited and ready for the season. He expressed his confidence by taking a question on Wednesday about the team's Week 1 matchup in Cincinnati and saying, "It's just the Bucs against everybody else in that city you're going to... I think we're going to shock a lot of people this year, so I'm excited to just get on the road and do that." Mayfield is in the final year of the three-year, $100 million extension and was unable to reach a new extension this offseason. He took a step back last year, with 3,693 yards and 26 touchdowns after posting 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2024. He played through injury during the season, which ended with the Bucs just missing the playoffs. He'll look to post a big year and earn a new deal, and he starts the year ranked as the No. 17 QB in RotoBaller's rankings.
Sam Darnold vs. Baker Mayfield
Still trying to decide between Darnold and Mayfield? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Sam Darnold is projected to score 21.2 points this week while Baker Mayfield is projected to score 22.8 points.
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