Sam Darnold
27-Year-Old
2024 Pass/Rush Stats
YDS
932
TD
11
INT
3
YDS
50
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
Overcomes turnovers in win
Darnold completed 20 of 28 passes for 275 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and added seven carries for 15 yards in the Vikings' 31-29 win over the Packers on Sunday. He also lost a fumble.
ANALYSIS
Darnold and the Vikings appeared well on their way to another impressive victory during a first half in which they jumped out to a 28-7 lead with help of the quarterback's pair of touchdown tosses to Jordan Addison (29 yards) and Justin Jefferson (14 yards). However, Darnold played a part in aiding Green Bay's comeback in the second half, tossing an interception at the Packers' two-yard line and then losing the handle on the ball during a sack at his own 24-yard line early in the fourth quarter. The latter mistake led to a Green Bay touchdown, but he was able to subsequently helm one more scoring drive that culminated in a field goal and essentially proved to be the difference in the game. Darnold will be striving to build on what was a season-high passing yardage total in a Week 5 matchup against the Jets in London next Sunday.
Darnold and the Vikings appeared well on their way to another impressive victory during a first half in which they jumped out to a 28-7 lead with help of the quarterback's pair of touchdown tosses to Jordan Addison (29 yards) and Justin Jefferson (14 yards). However, Darnold played a part in aiding Green Bay's comeback in the second half, tossing an interception at the Packers' two-yard line and then losing the handle on the ball during a sack at his own 24-yard line early in the fourth quarter. The latter mistake led to a Green Bay touchdown, but he was able to subsequently helm one more scoring drive that culminated in a field goal and essentially proved to be the difference in the game. Darnold will be striving to build on what was a season-high passing yardage total in a Week 5 matchup against the Jets in London next Sunday.
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
8.7 YdsSack Rate
8.6%Avg Receiver YAC
5.6 YdsReceiver Drop %
1.9%Loading Advanced NFL Stats...
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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 Jets 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 Jets
Sunday, Oct 6th at 9:30AM
Overall QB Rating Against
67.4
Cornerbacks
60.8
Safeties
65.4
Linebackers
82.3
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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
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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
Puts in full practice
Darnold (knee) was a full participant at Wednesday's walkthrough.
ANALYSIS
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Not expected to miss time
The Vikings announced Monday that Darnold sustained a bone bruise to his left knee during Sunday's 34-7 win over the Texans and is not expected to miss any time, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
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Getting knee checked out Monday
Darnold confirmed that he will undergo an MRI on his left knee after he missed one play in the third quarter of the Vikings' 34-7 win over the Texans on Sunday, when he took a low hit from Houston's Danielle Hunter, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports. He completed 17 of 28 pass attempts for 181 yards and four touchdowns and no interceptions in the victory.
ANALYSIS
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Ties career high with four TDs
Darnold completed 17 of 28 passes for 181 yards and four touchdowns in Sunday's 34-7 win over the Texans.
ANALYSIS
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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
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Avoids serious injury
Darnold isn't expected to miss any time after suffering a knee injury in Sunday's win over the Texans, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
ANALYSIS
The quarterback was sent for an MRI after the game, but no structural damage was detected, and he was diagnosed with only a bruised knee. Darnold has been outstanding so far for the 3-0 Vikings, completing 67.9 percent of his passes through three games with 8.4 yards per attempt and an 8:2 TD:INT. Should the knee injury prove to be more serious than expected, Nick Mullens would be the next man up for Minnesota under center.
The quarterback was sent for an MRI after the game, but no structural damage was detected, and he was diagnosed with only a bruised knee. Darnold has been outstanding so far for the 3-0 Vikings, completing 67.9 percent of his passes through three games with 8.4 yards per attempt and an 8:2 TD:INT. Should the knee injury prove to be more serious than expected, Nick Mullens would be the next man up for Minnesota under center.