Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield

BENCH

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
21.9 8.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

Sam Darnold News

Sam Darnold Could Miss 4-6 Weeks with Glute Injury

Sunday, September 13, 5:34 PM

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (glute) could miss four to six weeks due to a glute tendon injury. Florio notes that surgery is not anticipated for Darnold, but that the Seahawks will be cautious with their quarterback. Darnold suffered the injury early on in Seattle's 2026 debut, a 13-10 win over the New England Patriots on Wednesday. The injury was initially feared to be Darnold's hip. Darnold is not expected to be placed on the reserved/injured list as of press time. Drew Lock will operate as Seattle's starting quarterback while Darnold is out.

START

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
24.5 19.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

Baker Mayfield News

Baker Mayfield Offers QB1 Value in Favorable Matchup

Friday, September 11, 1:04 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield opens up the season on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. Fresh off an extension, Mayfield is ready to make some noise to start the season. The 31-year-old finished as the QB12 last season, but finished as a top-10 QB each of the last two seasons before that. The Bucs are without long-time wide receiver Mike Evans, who departed in free agency. The Bucs believe that Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr. can carry the load in the passing game. Mayfield will get a favorable matchup to start against the Bengals' defense, which ranked in the bottom-10 this past season. The 31-year-old might not be as great a fantasy option as years past, but he carries QB1 value into Week 1.

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 21.9 points this week while Baker Mayfield is projected to score 24.5 points.