Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Jalen Hurts

Friday, January 16, 4:28 PM

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said the team is "really optimistic" that quarterback Sam Darnold (oblique) "is going to be able to play" in Saturday night's Divisional Round game against the visiting San Francisco 49ers, according to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. Macdonald said there's a possibility that Darnold's oblique injury limits him physically, but he also said that Darnold is confident he'll be able to operate normally. The 28-year-old signal-caller felt something in his oblique in Thursday's practice and shut it down early, and he's officially questionable to play this weekend. Darnold became the only QB in history to lead two different teams to 14-win seasons in back-to-back years. However, in two games against the Niners this year, he hasn't gone over 200 yards passing and hasn't thrown a TD pass. With an injury to boot going into the playoffs, we wouldn't blame fantasy managers for passing on Darnold.

Friday, January 16, 8:08 PM

NFL sources familiar with the Philadelphia Eagles' organizational mindset think that they might draft a quarterback this spring, according to The Athletic's Michael Silver. Current QB Jalen Hurts, who has three years remaining on his five-year, $255 million extension, likely isn't going anywhere anytime soon, especially given owner Jeffrey Lurie's regard for him. After winning Super Bowl MVP honors a year ago, Hurts has been the source of much internal frustration, including from teammates other than receiver A.J. Brown. The 27-year-old ran the ball less in 2025, lessening his impact as a dual threat, and he also has limitations because of his lack of willingness to operate under center, an aversion to pre-snap motion, an inability to make quick post-snap reads, and a reluctance to try intermediate and in-breaking passes. Silver suggests that Hurts needs to be "pushed beyond his comfort zone," which could be done by drafting a QB and with a new voice at offensive coordinator.