Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Jayden Daniels

Monday, February 3, 8:53 PM

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler writes that the Minnesota Vikings haven't made a firm determination on impending free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold's future with the organization. Darnold exceeded all expectations in 2024, and bringing him back is a stronger possibility that it was five or six months ago. However, the Vikings have a cap on what they'll spend on the QB position, especially after he struggled to close out the year. Some agents think Darnold shouldn't take a penny less than Daniel Jones' four-year, $160 million deal with the New York Giants two years ago. He could get something similar to Baker Mayfield's three-year, $100 million deal, or the Vikes could slap the $35.3 million transition tag on him. Darnold threw for 4,319 yards, 35 TDs and 12 interceptions in 17 games, but his struggles in the final two games will ultimately cost him a lot of money on the open market. Whether the Vikings keep him will depend on how confident they are in J.J. McCarthy and Jones.

Sunday, January 26, 6:33 PM

Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels went 29-for-48 with 255 passing yards, a score, and an interception during their loss to the Philpaldeia Eagles in the NFC title game. Daniels added 48 yards and a score on six rushing attempts. Daniels would find his top wideout Terry McLaurin for a 36-yard TD pass in the second quarter. Then, in the third, Daniels would punch in his second score, this time on a 10-yard run. The Commanders were playing from behind throughout this entire offense but were unable to find much consistency on offense due to costly turnovers. The LSU product leaned on his tight end, Zach Ertz, in this game as he targeted him 16 times (season-high) and brought in 11 of them for 104 yards. After having a fantastic rookie campaign, Daniels and the Commanders were unable to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. Fantasy managers should view Daniels as a high-end QB1 going forward, as he will likely be one of the first QBs selected in drafts in the offseason.