Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Tony Pollard

Friday, October 17, 8:47 PM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has been an exciting fantasy asset of late. Unfortunately, Darnold draws a very tough matchup against the Houston Texans on Monday night. Houston is the No. 1 overall team against opposing quarterbacks in fantasy in 2025. This passing defense has done well to shut down every opposing quarterback they have played, especially over the past two games. Even Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had a pedestrian game against this defense in Week 2. Darnold's hot streak has included two straight games with at least 20 fantasy points. Additionally, Darnold has produced at least 242 passing yards in four of his past five games. Best of all, Darnold is protecting the football with just four turnovers this season. Darnold should continue to protect the ball against the Texans this week, but Houston's smothering defense may cap his overall passing output. This projects to be a lower-scoring game in a clash between two elite defenses. As such, Darnold should be rostered, but left on your bench in Week 7.

Saturday, October 18, 9:10 AM

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard's fantasy value has started to decline following the return of Tyjae Spears, and he'll continue to face an uphill battle to produce in Week 7 against the New England Patriots. The veteran's snap share was essentially cut in half last week as Spears took on a bigger workload. A reduced snap share is never a good sign for fantasy purposes, and it's particularly concerning when discussing one of the NFL's worst teams. Pollard no longer has volume or game script on his side, making him tough to trust in fantasy football. To make matters worse, he's facing the Patriots, who have allowed the third-fewest rushing yards and fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2025. Managers in most leagues can bench Pollard this week. At best, he is an RB3/flex.