Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Jayden Higgins

Friday, October 17, 8:47 PM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has been an exciting fantasy asset of late. Unfortunately, Darnold draws a very tough matchup against the Houston Texans on Monday night. Houston is the No. 1 overall team against opposing quarterbacks in fantasy in 2025. This passing defense has done well to shut down every opposing quarterback they have played, especially over the past two games. Even Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had a pedestrian game against this defense in Week 2. Darnold's hot streak has included two straight games with at least 20 fantasy points. Additionally, Darnold has produced at least 242 passing yards in four of his past five games. Best of all, Darnold is protecting the football with just four turnovers this season. Darnold should continue to protect the ball against the Texans this week, but Houston's smothering defense may cap his overall passing output. This projects to be a lower-scoring game in a clash between two elite defenses. As such, Darnold should be rostered, but left on your bench in Week 7.

Monday, October 27, 10:31 AM

Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Jayden Higgins had the best game of his young NFL career in his team's Week 8 win over the San Francisco 49ers, recording four catches for 34 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. The 22-year-old has now hauled in 13 catches for 155 yards and two scores on 21 targets. Before Week 8, Higgins had not earned more than four targets in any game this season. It's worth noting that veteran Texans wideouts Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (hamstring) were both sidelined against San Francisco, which certainly factored into Higgins' breakout game. However, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has attempted 88 passes over the team's last two games, which could signal that there will be more opportunity for Higgins even when Collins and Stroud return. In deeper leagues where available, Higgins could be worth stashing for his second-half breakout potential.