From NFL Draft Washout to Super Bowl QB, We Owe An Apology To Sam Darnold
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Xfinity, sending apologies to Sam Darnold, early 2026 fantasy draft targets and Los Angeles Rams team needs.
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Xfinity:
Or at least I do.
Like the Jets (who traded him), the Panthers (who let him walk) and the Vikings (who won 14 games and said we prefer J.J. McCarthy), I really didn’t believe Sam Darnold could be a franchise QB—much less one who could lead a team to the Super Bowl.
But that’s exactly what he’s done.
He’s been phenomenal in both playoff games. He threw 3 TDs—all under pressure—and torched the Rams secondary for 346 passing yards. Even with Kenneth Walker cooking, Seattle put the ball in his hands when it mattered, and he rewarded their confidence with multiple big throws to ice the game.
We’ve come quite a long way from both the “seeing ghosts” meme and thinking the Seahawks made a mistake swapping out Geno Smith for him.
Mike Macdonald, who will be able to spend more than 30 minutes with his son in two weeks, deserves a lot of credit, too. Darnold had four head coaches and five offensive coordinators with the Jets and the Panthers, and none of them were able to unlock his potential like Macdonald and this staff have. Though Kevin O’Connell deserves some credit for setting up Darnold for his soaring in Seattle.
Regardless of whether the Seahawks finish the job (they are strongly favored to do so), it’s time for some of us to say those three little words.
Super Bowl LX is set. Seahawks vs. Patriots. Sam Darnold vs. Drake Maye. Levi’s Stadium will be rocking when these two QBs go to battle. To help you break down the game, you’ll need our Xfinity Projections to see how many fantasy points these two will produce in the big game. Can they come up big with the Lombardi Trophy on the line? We’ll see. Check out our excellent content AND the projections tool all at the low price of $0.00, thank you to Xfinity. Go now! Run through some players! Enjoy the tool! And get that win!!
Imagine all your football, all in one place. Easy. Xfinity. Imagine That.
So the Super Bowl is still 12 days away, but it’s never too early to turn the page to the 2026 fantasy season ahead. In fact, we may be a little SICK IN THE HEAD as Dwain McFarland said, and we love you for it. Dwain started some flag planting on players he’s targeting in early drafts, going through each position group. This QB may fall and become a bargain for the coming season:
“Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2 that kept him out until Week 13. Upon his return, he averaged 20.6 points per game (PPG), making him the QB8 over the final six games. Burrow doesn't have the mobility of some of the players below, but he is an elite passer in an offense with plenty of weapons, and his track record when healthy is amazing.
2024: 23 PPG (3rd)
2022: 22.7 PPG (4th)
“The Bengals signal-caller could easily outperform several names going ahead of him, but you can grab him as a Round 6-7 turn pick.”
There are plenty Utilization Report and Rookie Super Model favorites in this piece, including some who either underwhelmed this season or caught fire late. Just remember, it’s never too early for next season.⤵️
The Rams entered 2025 with plenty of expectations, but the questionable health of Matthew Stafford's back made it tough to really go ALL in on the squad.
Or not. Stafford held up just fine, Puka NacuaandDavante Adams went bonkers, the run game was elite, and the defense was plenty good enough to lead this team to the second-best point differential in the NFL.
2025: 12-5 (+172 point differential, preseason win total: 9.5)
Points per game: 30.5 (first)
EPA per pass: +0.24 (third)
EPA per rush: +0.02 (fourth)
Points per game against: 20.4 (10th)
EPA per pass against: -0.05 (sixth)
EPA per rush against: -0.1 (12th)
Of course, things get a little tricky when looking ahead to next season—primarily because Stafford is 38 and entering the last year of his deal if he decides he wants to keep playing football in the first place. That decision will set the course for the entire offseason: The Rams boast the league's eighth-most cap space and have too good an overall roster to do anything other than try their hardest to compete for a Super Bowl in 2026. Throw in not one but TWO first-round picks, and it's possible next season's squad is actually even more well-rounded than the awesome squad we just saw in 2025.
Quarterback
Ideally, Stafford will choose to stick around, fresh off arguably playing the best football of his career. Either way, a future long-term answer needs to be added sooner rather than later. The only QB the franchise has drafted since Jared Goff is Stetson Bennett in 2023, and he'll (hilariously) already be 29 by next October.
Maybe alleged draft experts will be wrong about this quarterback class being a one-man show. If they are, Alabama QB Ty Simpson feels like the most likely candidate to earn mid-round draft capital—something the Rams suddenly have thanks to acquiring the Falcons’ first-round pick last April.
