Sam Darnold Fantasy Football Outlook (2026)

By Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros), Fri, Jun 5th 2026, 10:17am EDT

It took Sam Darnold seven seasons to finally get his footing as an NFL starter, but he's now put together two splendid seasons, culminating in a Super Bowl victory with the Seahawks. Darnold began his career with three nightmarish seasons as a Jet, fared little better in two seasons as a Panther, and spent one season as a backup with the 49ers before finally breaking through with the Vikings in 2024. He signed with the Seahawks in 2025 and guided the team to a 14-3 regular-season record and a 3-0 run through the playoffs. Over the last two regular seasons, Darnold has completed 66.9% of his throws and averaged 8.2 yards per pass attempt, with 60 TD passes, 26 interceptions, and a passer rating of 100.9. He's finished QB9 and QB13 in fantasy scoring the last two years. Darnold averaged only 28.1 pass attempts per game last season, as the Seahawks ran the ball at the third-highest rate in the league. Darnold must adjust to a new offensive coordinator, Brian Fleury, now that former Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak has taken the Raiders' head-coaching job. But it's possible Seattle throws at a higher rate this year, which could potentially boost Darnold's passing numbers.