Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Josh Allen

Tuesday, January 14, 4:51 PM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold resurrected his career by leading the Vikings to 14 wins in 2024 while posting career-highs in passing yards (4,319) and touchdowns (35), but he came crashing down hard in losses to the Detroit Lions in Week 18 and the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round in which he had a combined 23 off-target throws and took 11 sacks. Darnold's future is now as unsettled as ever as he heads toward free agency in March, but ESPN's Jeremy Fowler writes that Darnold is still the top free-agent QB. The teams that Fowler has spoken with recently forecasted Darnold in the Geno Smith/Baker Mayfield weight class of contracts. Mayfield got a three-year, $100 million deal last offseason with Tampa, while Smith signed a three-year, $75 million deal before the 2023 season. Darnold tanked to end the year, but he did enough to find work as a starter somewhere else if Minnesota doesn't want him back.

Friday, January 17, 5:15 PM

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen delivered his worst fantasy football performance of the season against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4. It's the only game this season (and first since Week 9 of the 2021 season) that Allen failed to throw or run for a touchdown. It was also the only game in which he scored fewer than double-digit fantasy points. While Baltimore's pass defense, the league's worst at the time, has improved, it's still smarter for offenses to attack the secondary rather than the front seven. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady should keep the football in Allen's hands more often than not. Allen has a great chance to finish as the QB1 for the week and can be utilized in any fantasy game.