Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Brock Purdy
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.1 | 8.5 | 0.0 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.3 | 17.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Brock Purdy News
Tuesday, August 18, 11:56 AM
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he expects "a number of starters" to play in the preseason game on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Chargers and said there is a "good chance" that will include quarterback Brock Purdy, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. If Purdy suits up to play on Thursday night, he likely will not play more than a couple of offensive series. The 26-year-old former seventh-rounder in 2022 from Iowa State is an obvious bounce-back candidate heading into his fifth NFL season after he appeared in just nine games for the Niners last year due to a turf-toe injury. Still, there are question marks with Purdy's receiving corps due to durability concerns, with veterans Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel Sr., and Christian Kirk, and Ricky Pearsall (knee) is already out for the season. Tight end George Kittle is returning from an Achilles tear from the postseason. At the very least, Purdy has running back Christian McCaffrey to dump the ball off to, and he should be considered a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 in fantasy football drafts in Shanahan's offense.
Sam Darnold vs. Brock Purdy
Still trying to decide between Darnold and Purdy? 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 22.1 points this week while Brock Purdy is projected to score 24.3 points.
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