Sam Darnold Fantasy Football Outlook (2026)

By Derek Brown (FantasyPros), Fri, Aug 7th 2026, 2:21pm EDT

As good as Sam Darnold was from a real-life quarterbacking perspective last year, he wasn't great in fantasy, and I don't see that changing this season if their defense remains an elite unit. Last season, Darnold was the QB22 in fantasy points per game as Seattle led the NFL in plays while leading by seven or more points. When Seattle was 27th in passing rate when leading by seven or more points, they were 32nd in passing rate when trailing by a touchdown or more, and they finished 25th in neutral passing rate. In every conceivable situation, this team didn't want to throw the ball, and I don't see that being any different in 2026. Darnold had only seven weekly finishes as a QB1 in fantasy while finishing as the QB24 or lower in weekly scoring eight times. Darnold can continue to be awesome in real-life football and an avoid for fantasy purposes because of their offensive game plan and their strong defense. He's a QB2 that I'll be avoiding.