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

Sam Darnold Working to Gain Comfort in New Offensive Scheme

Monday, August 10, 6:06 PM

After helping the Seattle Seahawks win the Super Bowl in his first year with the team in 2025, veteran quarterback Sam Darnold has been looking to get more comfortable in training camp this summer in new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury's scheme, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic. Darnold and Fleury overlapped with the San Francisco 49ers, but Fleury has never called plays before. It gives the two men "a nice foundation with a ton of carryover within the system," but they need experience together. The 29-year-old signal-caller has been trying to fine-tune elements of his game while also working to get more comfortable with Fleury, and on the exterior, Darnold "looks to be at ease." Although Darnold hit the 4,000-yard mark for the second straight year in 2025 and made the Pro Bowl for a second straight season, he wasn't in the top 10 in fantasy scoring at his position. And outside of Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle's WR corps is rather weak. On volume alone, Darnold should have a safe floor as a low-end QB2 target, but expecting more than that doesn't seem wise.


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

Brock Purdy Won't Play in Preseason Opener on Thursday

Thursday, August 13, 11:19 AM

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will not play in the team's preseason opener on Thursday against the Tennessee Titans, according to Vic Tafur and Matt Barrows of The Athletic. It doesn't make much sense for Mac Jones to play either, although Jones has not been very sharp during training camp. Kurtis Rourke, who could be the backup in 2027 if Jones isn't around, figures to see most of the playing time on Thursday night. Adrian Martinez also figures to see extensive work against Tennessee, especially if Jones is held out. Even though the 26-year-old Purdy has already lost receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) for the entire 2026 season, the former seventh-rounder from Iowa State should be primed for a bounce-back campaign in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense after suiting up for only nine games in 2025 due to a turf-toe injury. Purdy will have more QB1 upside in his fifth NFL season if rookie second-round receiver De'Zhaun Stribling can step up as a big-play wideout across from veteran Mike Evans. Fantasy managers should be targeting Purdy as a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 in 2026.


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.