RotoWire NFL Articles on Sam Darnold
From the article
Darnold has established himself as one of the better deep ball passers in the league since 2024 and has a strong supporting cast around him. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is at the peak of his powers, and downfield specialist Rashid Shaheed will be in a better position to be a contributor. AJ Barner is a breakout candidate who can be a weapon in the red zone.
STACKED’s take
Darnold's 46.3% deep ball completion rate and elite supporting cast make him undervalued at QB22/QB20 ADP.
Darnold has evolved from journeyman bust to Super Bowl champion in two years, finishing QB8 in 2024 and QB13 in fantasy points per game last year. McKechnie questions what more Darnold needs to do to earn fantasy manager trust, noting he's undervalued relative to peers like Tyler Shough and Daniel Jones on ESPN ADP. Since 2023, Darnold leads all qualified QBs in deep ball completion percentage at 46.3% on passes 20+ air yards, ahead of Purdy (45.5%) and Dak (43.5%). His supporting cast includes Jaxon Smith-Njigba at peak powers, downfield specialist Rashid Shaheed (acquired at trade deadline), and breakout candidate AJ Barner in the red zone. Darnold had seven regular-season games with 20+ fantasy points, including two exceeding 30 points. McKechnie views him as a better best ball pick than redraft due to floor concerns (equal number of starts with 15 or fewer points), but a nice value as a QB2 in home leagues for matchup-based play.
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