Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Mac Jones
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.3 | 8.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Sam Darnold News
Tuesday, August 25, 8:18 PM
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has a talented group of weapons around him at wide receiver, running back, and tight end. Although Jake Bobo (knee) went down with a season-ending ACL tear, this is still a very talented wide receiver room headlined by Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and Rashid Shaheed. All three have different skill sets that should give Darnold plenty of options in the passing game. At tight end, AJ Barner is coming off a big 2025 campaign, while Elijah Arroyo has a second-round draft stock. Meanwhile, the Seahawks have an impressive backfield featuring Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet (knee). Rounding out the offense is a very dependable offensive line. The Seahawks didn't make many additions in the trenches, but mostly because it was already a strong unit. Grey Zabel and Charles Cross are terrific blindside protectors for Darnold, who only took 27 sacks last year (as opposed to 48 in 2024 with Minnesota). Despite having limited mobility, the veteran signal caller has ranked as a top-13 quarterback in fantasy football for each of the last two seasons. He enters the 2026 season as the QB23 in RotoBaller's latest draft rankings.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Mac Jones News
Thursday, July 30, 12:23 PM
San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Mac Jones (undisclosed) is healthy for the start of training camp after dealing with an undisclosed issue during the offseason, according to Vic Tafur and Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Jones started slow in Wednesday's practice before improving throughout the session and finishing 11-for-15 passing. The 27-year-old signal-caller kept the Niners' offense afloat last year with Brock Purdy missing extended time with a turf-toe injury, throwing for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions on 289 pass attempts in 11 games (eight starts) in his first year in the Bay Area. While Jones was not a standout by any means for fantasy football purposes as more of a game manager, he was a real-life savior for head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, leading to the 49ers rebuffing trade inquiries on Jones in the offseason. That stance could change this summer if a QB-needy team makes the Niners an offer they can't refuse, but for now, Jones is an extremely valuable insurance policy for Purdy under center.
Sam Darnold vs. Mac Jones
Still trying to decide between Darnold and Jones? 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 22.3 points this week while Mac Jones is projected to score 2.0 points.
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