Who Should I Start? Tyrod Taylor or Sam Darnold

Tuesday, September 2, 3:51 PM

New York Jets backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor (knee) was seen taking part in the early portion of Tuesday's practice, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. Taylor will probably be a limited participant in practice, but the big takeaway is that he was back on the field, suggesting that he should be available to back up Justin Fields in the Week 1 regular-season opener this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jets won't release their first injury report of the year until Wednesday, so we'll have a better idea then on the 36-year-old veteran's status going into the weekend. But unless Fields misses time with an injury of his own in 2025, Taylor will be miles from the fantasy radar. In his first year with Gang Green last season, Taylor appeared in only two games behind Aaron Rodgers and went 17-for-22 passing for 119 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Friday, September 5, 2:19 PM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is not worth starting in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers project to have a solid defense with coordinator Robert Saleh back in the fold, and it remains to be seen if Darnold's breakout season in 2024 was a mirage. However, Darnold's level of play is worth monitoring in Week 1. He is joining an offense coordinated by Klint Kubiak with ties back to Darnold's year in San Francisco as a backup quarterback. The offense is going to play to Darnold's strengths, and he could very well succeed at a high level this season. Darnold is coming off a season in which he was the QB9 in Minnesota. While we certainly do not expect that of Darnold without wide receiver Justin Jefferson in 2025, he could still be an excellent streamer or QB2. Watch Darnold closely in Week 1. Even solid success against the 49ers' defense would suggest that we are in for another season of fantasy fun with the eight-year veteran.