Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Brady Cook

Friday, December 19, 1:11 AM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold completed 22 of his 34 pass attempts for 270 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions during Thursday's Week 16 comeback win over the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. He also rushed for seven yards and took four sacks in the victory. It wasn't exactly the cleanest game for Darnold, who has now been picked off by the Rams six times during two meetings in 2025. He was just 4-for-6 passing in the first half, but he cleaned things up in the second half and overtime, ultimately leading the Seahawks to a comeback victory that erased Los Angeles' 16-point lead. The 28-year-old is a borderline top-12 fantasy quarterback (with undeniable risk) heading into a Week 17 clash with his old team, the Carolina Panthers.

Monday, December 22, 10:59 AM

New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said that Brady Cook will remain the team's starting quarterback, per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. Cook has started each of New York's last two games after taking over for veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor in the middle of the Jets' Week 14 loss to the Miami Dolphins. An undrafted rookie out of the University of Missouri, Cook has struggled in his first taste of NFL action. Across three games (two starts), he's completed 59.2% of his pass attempts for 527 yards, one touchdown, and six interceptions. However, there's little incentive at this point in the season for the 3-12 Jets to do anything but attempt to improve their 2026 draft pick, which may be the reason why Glenn is sticking with Cook under center. Heading into a difficult Week 17 matchup against the New England Patriots, fantasy managers should avoid Cook and may want to move away from Jets running back Breece Hall as well.