Aug 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (2) and quarterback Sam Darnold (14) exit the locker room for pregame warmups against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Fantasy analyst calls Sam Darnold repeating 2024 success with Seahawks a'tough sell'

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 10:00 AM ET

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has been one of the hardest players to predict for the upcoming season. Will he play like the MVP candidate he was last year with the Minnesota Vikings, will he revert back to his underwhelming level of play earlier in his career, or something in between?

If it's tough for regular NFL analysts to project Darnold's season, then it's doubly so for Fantasy Football pundits. Quarterbacks are very volatile in Fantasy Football (though probably less so than other positions, to be fair), with their values changing each and every week.

So, what's Darnold's Fantasy Football outlook for the 2025 season? According to Pro Football and Sports Network's Kyle Soppe, not great.

Sam Darnold receives pessimistic Fantasy Football projection

"With zero moving pieces, 2025 was going to be a difficult projection for Darnold, as he is a high-pedigree player, but still with more bad than good on his resume," Soppe wrote. "But, of course, everything has changed. Gone is the Kevin O’Connell system and the greatness of Justin Jefferson. Gone is the hyper-scoring environment that came with playing in the NFC North. Gone are the majority of his games coming indoors.

"That all means that buying into Darnold not only requires you to believe in what he did a season ago, but you have to believe in him overcoming the subtraction of those points of fantasy insolation. That’s a tough sell."

Indeed, Seattle's weaker supporting cast than Minnesota's has been a major point of contention this offseason. Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp form a good receiving duo, but they're not Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Additionally, the Seahawks' offensive line was one of the worst pass-blocking units in the league last year, and while first-round guard Grey Zabel should help, it's still very much a work in progress.

That said, there is still room for Darnold to thrive in Fantasy Football this season. Perhaps not as a QB1, but definitely as a backup option.

"I believe there’s enough here for Darnold to have success again," PFSN's Frank Ammirante wrote. "This is not the airtight offense of the Vikings last year, but there’s enough hope and talent at every level. If Darnold really did take a step forward, then I wouldn’t count on him bottoming out at his previous levels.

"However, a lot of dominoes need to fall into place for him to see near the same caliber of play as last season, and plenty of pitfalls remain. I wouldn’t count on or rely on Darnold season-long, but I think he’ll be a reasonable QB2 and consistent streaming option."

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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