Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy

Thursday, June 19, 12:24 PM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold had a career year in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings, completing 66.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 17 regular-season games to lead Minnesota to a 14-3 record. However, the former third overall pick in 2018 finished on a sour note in his final two games and knows he must prove himself again in 2025 with a new team. Darnold has familiarity with new Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak from their one year together in San Fran in 2023, but the move from Minnesota to Seattle is definitely a downgrade in terms of overall offense and the weapons he'll have in Seattle. The 28-year-old was excellent throwing downfield in 2024, but it helped to have one of the best receivers in the league in Justin Jefferson. Fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting a repeat of 2024, when Darnold finished as the QB9.

Tuesday, June 17, 12:07 PM

There are plenty of question marks surrounding Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick last year, after he missed his rookie season in 2024 with a torn right meniscus in his knee. However, ESPN's Kevin Seifert writes that McCarthy's arm strength has been fine after it was a topic of discussion going into the 2024 draft. "He definitely has an arm," receiver Justin Jefferson said. "That's for sure. He can definitely zip it whenever he needs to." His arm has looked especially lively on throws down the middle of the field, and McCarthy is starting to learn to vary his throws after Jefferson noted last summer that the rookie tended to throw every ball the same way -- hard and straight. With no threats to the starting job under center, the 22-year-old is Minnesota's clear starting QB going into 2025 and has some of the best weapons in the league. He's a QB2 with upside in fantasy.