Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Riley Leonard


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
21.8 8.6 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

Sam Darnold News

Sam Darnold Should Benefit From Second Season in Seahawks Offense

Thursday, September 3, 6:46 PM

2025 Super Bowl-winning quarterback Sam Darnold enters his second season with the Seattle Seahawks with a chance to emerge as a high-end QB2, alongside star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the emergence of Rashid Shaheed, with a full offseason under his belt to build chemistry with Darnold. Shaheed was brought over to the Seahawks in Week 9 of the 2025 season. Darnold finished the 2025 season as the QB13, throwing for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. This was followed by a season with the Vikings in 2024, where he finished as the QB9. Although he lost his offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, who was brought on to be the head coach for the Raiders, RotoBaller currently ranks Darnold as the QB23 and the 140th player taken off the board. Fantasy managers in superflex formats could look to target Darnold as their QB2, as he has finished in the top 15 at the position in back-to-back seasons.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Riley Leonard News

Riley Leonard Pulls Ahead in Backup Competition

Sunday, August 23, 4:16 AM

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Riley Leonard started the Colts' second preseason match against the Atlanta Falcons, completing seven of his 14 pass attempts for 62 yards in the team's 34-6 loss on Saturday. After the first quarter, Leonard and the Colts' offense could nn't findomentum and struggled to gain first downs, often playing behind the sticks due to penalties. However, fellow quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr., Leonard's competition for the number two spot, did not perform any better. Richardson started the second half and completed three of his nine pass attempts for 24 yards, rushed for 15 yards off three carries, and took two sacks. While neither quarterback outshone the other, Leonard's marginally better efficiency and the fact that he started this game suggest he may have overtaken Richardson on the depth chart to backup quarterback Daniel Jones. Dynasty managers in deep leagues who are interested in either Leonard or Richardson should pay close attention to quarterback usage, decision-making, and efficiency in next Saturday's preseason finale against the Detroit Lions.


Sam Darnold vs. Riley Leonard

Still trying to decide between Darnold and Leonard? 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 21.8 points this week while Riley Leonard is projected to score 0.0 points.