Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Lamar Jackson

Wednesday, May 8, 11:20 PM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold could be named the team's Week 1 starter over first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. As Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com writes, "It's only a matter of time before McCarthy becomes the Vikings' starting quarterback [...] but it is not likely to happen as quickly as some fans might hope, and if anything, the Vikings are poised to err on the side of methodical caution." Such a scenario could see Minnesota let Darnold, whom they signed this past offseason when Kirk Cousins left for Atlanta, start a few games before transitioning to McCarthy. Darnold has struggled to support major fantasy production from his playmakers at previous stops, including the Jets and Panthers, so fantasy managers might want to temper expectations with players like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson to start the year. Darnold himself falls to the low-end QB3 tier in fantasy football drafts.

Saturday, January 20, 8:18 PM

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson exhibited his MVP potential in the 2023 Divisional Round, accumulating 252 yards and four touchdowns, including 100 rushing yards in the team's 34-10 victory over the Texans. Despite initial skepticism about his postseason performance, the former MVP emphatically led the Ravens' offense down the field. Jackson's scoring on the first two drives of the second half led to a strategic shift to an ultra-run-heavy approach, tempering his passing statistics for the day. As the AFC's top seed, the impending title game will be at M&T Bank Stadium against either the Bills or Chiefs presents a challenge, with both teams ranking in the bottom 10 in points allowed to quarterbacks. Nevertheless, Jackson is anticipated to deliver robust numbers as the linchpin of the entire offense.