Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Tim Boyle

Thursday, March 6, 9:11 PM

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Minnesota Vikings and impending free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold continue to negotiate this week after the Vikings decided not to place the franchise tag on him by the deadline this past Tuesday. Minnesota continues to say that they would like to re-sign Darnold for less than the franchise tag ($40 million), which would make it manageable to build the team around him in 2025. It's a delicate situation, as last year's first-rounder J.J. McCarthy (knee), who the Vikings still have faith in as their future franchise signal-caller, will be back this year after missing all of 2024 due to a season-ending knee injury that he suffered last preseason. Their willingness to bring Darnold back could mean they'd be fine having McCarthy sit and learn as the backup in 2025 before finally taking over in 2026. Either way, Darnold's best path to his highest fantasy ceiling in 2025 will be to stay in Minnesota.

Sunday, December 15, 4:07 PM

New York Giants quarterback Tim Boyle made his debut for the team in Sunday's 35-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Signed to the practice squad on November 19, Boyle was activated this week as the primary backup following Drew Lock's heel injury. He entered the game at halftime after starter Tommy DeVito exited with a possible concussion, completing 12 of 24 passes for 123 yards with one touchdown (to Malik Nabers) and one interception. Boyle averaged 5.1 yards per attempt and took one sack, finishing with 7.12 fantasy points in his first action as a Giant.