Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Josh Allen


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 Won't Play in Preseason Opener Against Dallas

Friday, August 14, 1:31 PM

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said that quarterback Sam Darnold will not play in the team's preseason opener on Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys, according to FOX 13 Seattle's Curtis Crabtree. Backup QBs Drew Lok and Jalen Milroe will likely rotate series instead of handing off. Darnold surprised everyone by winning the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots in his first year in Seattle in 2025. The 29-year-old former third overall pick from USC in 2018 has been a Pro Bowler in back-to-back seasons now as a late-bloomer in the NFL, and he's thrown for over 4,000 yards with an even 60 touchdowns and 26 interceptions in 34 regular-season starts with the Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings. Darnold has arguably one of the top receivers in the game to work with in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but his strong season in 2025 with Seattle culminated in only a QB13 finish in fantasy. He's now learning a new offense and doesn't have star RB Kenneth Walker around in the backfield, which screams regression. Darnold might have a solid QB2 floor in fantasy, but he's merely a bench stash in single-QB, 12-team leagues.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
27.6 33.2 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0

Josh Allen News

Josh Allen, Healthy Bills Starters Expected to Play on Saturday

Thursday, August 13, 7:18 AM

Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady said that the plan for Saturday's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers is that if a player is healthy, they will play, according to Maddy Glab of the team's official website. Brady added that he wants quarterback Josh Allen to be competitive but mindful. If Allen actually does play this weekend, it will probably be only for a few offensive series at most. Backups Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele are fully expected to see most of the snaps against Carolina. Allen, a four-time Pro Bowler, is the consensus No. 1 overall fantasy QB again in 2026 despite failing to throw for 4,000 yards for the second straight season in 2025 in his eighth year in the NFL. He still managed to finish as the QB1 in fantasy last year by rushing for a league-high 579 yards and 14 touchdowns on 112 rushing attempts. In Brady's first year as Buffalo's head coach, Allen could return to the 4,000-yard passing mark after the addition of receiver DJ Moore, who should help the Bills succeed more down the field with explosive passing plays. The prospect of bigger chunk gains through the air only raises Allen's already high fantasy floor.


Sam Darnold vs. Josh Allen

Still trying to decide between Darnold and Allen? 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 Josh Allen is projected to score 27.6 points.