Sam Darnold
27-Year-Old
2024 Pass/Rush Stats
YDS
476
TD
4
INT
2
YDS
35
TD
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Darnold signed a one-year deal with the Vikings shortly after Kirk Cousins jumped ship for Atlanta. J.J. McCarthy is Minnesota's QB of the future, but the rookie's season-ending meniscus surgery in August leaves Darnold unchallenged atop the depth chart. Darnold spent last season as the backup to Brock Purdy in San Francisco, where he started one game and finished the season with an unimpressive 6.5 YPA and 60.9 completion percentage -- pretty much in line with his career averages. Darnold at least has excellent weapons to target in wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson, though the latter is coming back from a late-season ACL tear. Free-agent RB Aaron Jones should also help the passing game, but his presence may encourage coach Kevin O'Connell to run the ball more often this season after ranking third in pass percentage last year (63.3). Darnold has never been skilled at throwing deep, and the Vikings gained just 42.8 percent of their passing yards after the catch last season, the lowest rate in the league. Darnold won't add more than 15-20 yards per game on the ground, potentially limiting his fantasy value to two-QB leagues even if Jefferson and Addison help him put up better-than-usual passing numbers. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Leads upset win shorthanded
Darnold completed 17 of 26 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns and one interception and added five carries for 32 yards in the Vikings' 23-17 win over the 49ers on Sunday. He also committed two fumbles, recovering one.
ANALYSIS
Darnold wasn't quite as efficient as he'd been during a Week 1 win over the Giants in which he misfired on only five pass attempts, but considering he was missing Jordan Addison (ankle) from the onset of the game and then lost Justin Jefferson (quadriceps) late in the third quarter, the veteran signal-caller was effective overall. Well before the latter's exit from the game, however, the duo connected for a 97-yard touchdown pass that served as the highlight of the afternoon, and essentially, the difference in the game. Darnold did take his lumps against an aggressive 49ers defense that sacked him three times and hit him on an additional three occasions, jarring the ball loose twice. While Darnold and the Vikings were still able to escape with a high-quality victory, they will be hard-pressed to duplicate their success in a Week 3 home matchup against the Texans if neither Jefferson nor Addison are available for that contest.
Darnold wasn't quite as efficient as he'd been during a Week 1 win over the Giants in which he misfired on only five pass attempts, but considering he was missing Jordan Addison (ankle) from the onset of the game and then lost Justin Jefferson (quadriceps) late in the third quarter, the veteran signal-caller was effective overall. Well before the latter's exit from the game, however, the duo connected for a 97-yard touchdown pass that served as the highlight of the afternoon, and essentially, the difference in the game. Darnold did take his lumps against an aggressive 49ers defense that sacked him three times and hit him on an additional three occasions, jarring the ball loose twice. While Darnold and the Vikings were still able to escape with a high-quality victory, they will be hard-pressed to duplicate their success in a Week 3 home matchup against the Texans if neither Jefferson nor Addison are available for that contest.
NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Sam Darnold's 2024 advanced stats compare to other quarterbacks?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank.
The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
Bad Pass %
20.8%Avg Target Depth
9.1 YdsSack Rate
14.3%Avg Receiver YAC
3.9 YdsReceiver Drop %
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2024 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
This Week's Opposing Pass Defense
How does the 49ers pass defense compare to other NFL teams this season?
The bars represents the team's percentile rank (based on QB Rating Against). The longer the bar, the better their pass defense is. The team and position group ratings only include players that are currently on the roster and not on injured reserve. The list of players in the table only includes defenders with at least 3 attempts against them.
vs 49ers
Sunday, Sep 15th at 1:00PM
Overall QB Rating Against
90.4
Cornerbacks
88.9
Safeties
158.3
Linebackers
34.7
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2024 Sam Darnold Split Stats
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Measurables Review
View College Player Page
How do Sam Darnold's measurables compare to other quarterbacks?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
6' 3"Weight
225 lbs40-Yard Dash
4.85 secShuttle Time
4.40 secCone Drill
6.96 secVertical Jump
26.5 inBroad Jump
105 inHand Length
9.38 inArm Length
31.00 in
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
Darnold started the final six games for the Panthers last season after first losing the starting job to Baker Mayfield in training camp and then suffering an ankle injury that kept him out two months. While he threw only three interceptions, he wasn’t accurate. His 65.0 on-target percentage ranked 38th of 40 QBs with at least 140 attempts, and his 58.6 completion percentage was 36th. He signed a one-year deal with the 49ers this offseason to compete with Trey Lance while Brock Purdy recovers from elbow surgery. Should Darnold get snaps, he’ll have more talent around him than he’s ever had before in his career. He can at least dump the ball off and let the 49ers’ playmakers gobble up yards after the catch, as they did last year when they led the league with 6.6 YAC per reception. Darnold is also a capable scrambler, good for about 15-20 yards per game, potentially giving him value in two-QB leagues if he ends up making starts for a loaded Niners team.
More Fantasy News
Nearly perfect in team debut
Darnold completed 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Vikings' 28-6 win over the Giants on Sunday. He also rushed three times for three yards.
ANALYSIS
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Won't start Saturday
Coach Kevin O'Connell relayed Thursday that that Darnold's teammate Jaren Hall will start Saturday's preseason finale against the Eagles.
ANALYSIS
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Positioned as starter for 2024
Darnold is poised to start the Vikings' Sept. 8 season opener versus the Giants and could remain atop the depth chart at quarterback for the entire 2024 campaign after 10th overall pick J.J. McCarthy (knee) underwent season-ending meniscus surgery Wednesday, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Locked in as Week 1 starter
Darnold is in line to open the regular season as Minnesota's starting quarterback with J.J. McCarthy (knee) set to undergo surgery to address a meniscus tear, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
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Plays one series in Vikings debut
Darnold started at quarterback but played just one series on offense in Saturday's preseason win over Las Vegas. He was 4-of-8 passing for 59 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Lined up to start all season
Darnold is positioned to serve as Minnesota's starting quarterback throughout the 2024 season after head coach Kevin O'Connell announced Wednesday that J.J. McCarthy underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
ANALYSIS
Darnold and McCarthy had been competing for the starting role in camp, with the former looking likely to start Week 1 but the latter expected to take over at some point this season. With the rookie 10th overall pick sidelined for the entire campaign, Darnold will have a chance to showcase his abilities on his fourth team in five years. Darnold has a 21-35 career record as a starter, but he's likely to hold off Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall for the top spot on the depth chart in McCarthy's absence.
Darnold and McCarthy had been competing for the starting role in camp, with the former looking likely to start Week 1 but the latter expected to take over at some point this season. With the rookie 10th overall pick sidelined for the entire campaign, Darnold will have a chance to showcase his abilities on his fourth team in five years. Darnold has a 21-35 career record as a starter, but he's likely to hold off Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall for the top spot on the depth chart in McCarthy's absence.