Darnold saw his Fantasy production decline in 2025 from his breakout season in 2024, but he's OK with that since he helped Seattle win Super Bowl LX. Now we'll see if Darnold's production can rise again in 2026. Fantasy managers shouldn't have high expectations for Darnold in one-quarterback leagues, and he's only a late-round flier in those formats. In multiple-QB leagues, Darnold is worth a mid-round selection. In 2025, his first season with the Seahawks, Darnold averaged 16.8 Fantasy points per game with 4,048 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, along with 95 rushing yards. He only had eight games with at least 20 Fantasy points in 21 games, including the playoffs. Darnold did average 22.2 Fantasy points per game in 2024 with the Vikings, but that's the only time in his eight-year career that he's averaged more than 17.5 points per game. Darnold could improve under new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, and Seattle's run game could take a step back with Kenneth Walker III gone and Zach Charbonnet injured. That said, we know by now that Darnold isn't a standout Fantasy option, and he's not someone you can trust as a starter in one-quarterback leagues to open the year.
Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Receives good news on hip injury
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Darnold (hip) received "really, really good news" regarding his injury, according to coach Mike McDonald, ESPN.com reports. "His hip is intact, and it's good," McDonald said Thursday.
Darnold underwent testing for his hip injury suffered in the season opener, including an initial CT scan followed by an MRI. The results are encouraging, as Darnold is believed to have "dodged a bullet" and is only expected to miss minimal time. An appearance for Darnold in Week 2 does not look likely at this stage, but the Week 3 game against the Commanders on Sunday, Sept. 27 is an optimistic but possible return date. Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, Darnold is primarily dealing with hip soreness.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Expected to miss at least one game
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Darnold (hip) is expected to miss Seattle's Week 2 game against the Cardinals, Ian Rapoport of ESPN and NFL Network reports.
Darnold avoided a major injury, but he's likely to miss at least one game as a result of the hip injury he sustained in the first quarter of Wednesday's 13-10 win over the Patriots. Assuming he's ruled out for Week 2, Darnold will have 18 days of recovery time between Wednesday's win and Seattle's Week 3 road game against the Commanders. Drew Lock, who threw for 187 yards and a touchdown after replacing Darnold on Wednesday, is expected to get the Week 2 start under center.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Dodges bullet but could miss time
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Darnold (hip) is expected to miss some time due to the hip injury he sustained in Wednesday's 13-10 win over the Patriots, but the Seahawks believe their starting quarterback has "dodged a bullet," Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Team doctors are still reviewing the results of the MRI that Darnold underwent on his injury Thursday morning, but the early results suggest Darnold isn't facing a long-term absence. Drew Lock looks likely to be tabbed as the starting quarterback for the team's Week 2 road game against the Cardinals on Sunday, Sept. 20. Lock threw for 187 yards and a touchdown following Darnold's first-quarter exit in Wednesday's season-opening win.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: In line for MRI on hip
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Darnold underwent a CT scan on his hip and is expected to undergo an MRI on Thursday after the quarterback didn't return to Wednesday's win against the Patriots, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.
Darnold injured his hip on the Seahawks' fifth offensive play of the game and eventually was ruled out. Per Schefter, the results of Darnold's CT scan were encouraging yet inclusive, while coach Mike Macdonald told Corbin K. Smith of SI.com postgame that a fracture has been ruled out, with more tests to be done. A number of scenarios appear to be on the table for Seattle's starting QB, but if Darnold needs to miss any time, Drew Lock would get another opportunity to lead the offense.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Questionable to return
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Darnold (hip) left Wednesday night's contest against the Patriots in the first quarter, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.
Darnold suffered a hip injury on the Seahawks' opening possession, and he is now considered questionable to return to the contest, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Drew Lock has entered the contest at quarterback for Seattle.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Not playing Saturday
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Coach Mike Macdonald said Friday that Darnold won't suit up for Saturday's preseason game versus the Cowboys, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.
Darnold will have two more opportunities to log some exhibition action before the regular season, with the next such chance coming Sunday, Aug. 23 at Tennessee. While the Seahawks' receiving corps didn't experience significant changes in the offseason, the backfield lost Kenneth Walker to the Chiefs in free agency, while Zach Charbonnet remains in recovery mode from a January ACL tear. Darnold thus will be handing off to some combination of rookie first-rounder Jadarian Price (lower body), George Holani and Emanuel Wilson to kick off the regular season.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Building rapport with new OC
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Darnold and the Seahawks offense are adjusting to the scheme of new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.
Darnold enjoyed a productive 2025 season with Klint Kubiak as the offensive coordinator, with the duo playing a key part in the Seahawks' Super Bowl LX win. After Kubiak left for Las Vegas to be the head coach, Seattle brought in Fleury to take over as the offensive coordinator after four years as San Francisco's tight ends coach. Fleury has no experience calling plays, so he and Darnold have used the offseason to work toward full alignment on how to approach each game and series. The Seahawks also lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker to the Chiefs in the offseason, but Darnold still has Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as well as Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp and tight end AJ Barner. Darnold and the offense will look to iron out the details in training camp and preseason games before starting their title defense in a Super Bowl rematch against the Patriots on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Serviceable performance in SB win
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Darnold completed 19 of 38 passes for 202 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and added two rushes for five yards during the Seahawks' 29-13 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Sunday.
Both quarterbacks were under pressure early and often from the talented opposing defenses, but for three-plus quarters, Darnold handled the adversity slightly more effectively than the much younger Drake Maye. Darnold managed to take just one sack while throwing the ball away in the nick of time on several occasions, and he was able to string together enough positive plays through the air to keep the chains moving when RB Kenneth Walker wasn't knifing through New England's front. Darnold relied most on Cooper Kupp and AJ Barner, with the former helping to make up for the blanket coverage on Jaxon Smith-Njigba and his brief second-half absence to be evaluated for a possible concussion. Barner was also on the receiving end of Darnold's one touchdown pass, which came from 16 yards out early in the fourth quarter. Just as important, the veteran signal-caller managed to close out a turnover-free postseason after having committed 20 in 17 regular-season contests during his 2025 Seahawks debut campaign.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Set for Super Bowl LX
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Darnold (oblique) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's Super Bowl LX matchup versus the Patriots, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.
Darnold initially sustained a left oblique injury the Thursday before Seattle's divisional-round matchup against the 49ers, but he was able to play through it during that victory and the NFC Championship Game win versus the Rams, completing 37 of 53 passes for 470 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions and rushing three times for nine yards. He finally logged his first full practice in three weeks Thursday and followed it up with another uncapped session Friday, thereby paving the way for him to lead the Seahawks offense in the final contest of the season.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Logs full practice Thursday
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Darnold (oblique) was a full practice participant Thursday, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.
This marks Darnold's first uncapped session since he injured his left oblique in advance of the Seahawks' divisional-round game against the 49ers. He's still suited up for both of Seattle's playoff contests, completing 37 of 53 passes for 470 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Following Thursday's development, Darnold is in line to continue to lead the team's offense Sunday versus the Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Limited Wednesday
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Darnold (oblique) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.
Darnold continues to operate with practice restrictions due to the left oblique injury he sustained just days before the Seahawks' playoff opener against the 49ers in the divisional round. Seattle didn't tag him with a designation after the first week of Super Bowl LX prep, and the quarterback himself told Brady Henderson of ESPN.com on Wednesday that he "feels really good. ... I'm always going to take it one step at a time, do my rehab and do everything I need to do to make sure it feels great going into practice and going into the game" Sunday against the Patriots. Darnold has two more chances to get back to full this week before the team will need to decide whether to list him as questionable for the final game of the campaign.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: No designation
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Darnold (oblique) doesn't have a designation for Super Bowl LX versus the Patriots on Sunday, Feb. 8, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.
Prior to both of Seattle's first two playoff games, Darnold was listed as questionable due to a left oblique injury but still suited up, combining for 470 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in those contests. He remained listed as limited on all three practice reports of this week, but he seemingly has a clean bill of health before the final contest of the campaign.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Listed as limited Wednesday
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Darnold (oblique) was listed as limited on Wednesday's practice estimate, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.
Since injuring his left oblique in practice ahead of the Seahawks' divisional-round game against the 49ers, Darnold has operated with practice restrictions but suited up for both of the team's playoff contests, completing 37 of 53 passes (69.8 percent) for 470 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in the process. After Sunday's victory over the Rams in the NFC Championship Game, coach Mike Macdonald told Brady Henderson of ESPN.com on Monday that Darnold was dealing with some soreness, but the oblique issue remains "nothing major." Darnold will have a week and a half to get as healthy as possible ahead of Super Bowl LX versus the Patriots on Sunday, Feb. 8.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Set to play Sunday
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Darnold (oblique) doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Rams, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.
Darnold was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday as he continues to manage an oblique injury that occurred in practice last Thursday, but he'll be available to face the Rams on Sunday. In this past Saturday's 41-6 divisional-round win over the 49ers, Darnold was efficient with modest volume, completing 12 of his 17 passing attempts for 124 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers en route to compiling a 110.9 passer rating.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Remains limited Thursday
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Darnold (oblique) was a limited practice participant Thursday.
Darnold played through an oblique injury during this past Saturday's divisional-round win against the 49ers, completing 12 of 17 passes for 124 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions while taking two sacks. He's so far logged back-to-back capped sessions this week, but it's unclear if he's thrown any passes, as coach Mike Macdonald told Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune prior to Thursday's practice that he'd like Darnold to do so before Sunday's NFC Championship Game versus the Rams. Darnold will have one more chance to prove his health Friday before the Seahawks potentially give him a designation ahead of the weekend.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: To be 'day-to-day' this week
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Coach Mike Macdonald said Monday that Darnold (oblique) will be "day-to-day" this week, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.
Darnold suffered a left oblique injury last Thursday that left him questionable for this past Saturday's divisional-round game versus the 49ers, but he was able to suit up, start and play 47 of 53 offensive snaps en route to completing 12 of 17 passes for 124 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in a 41-6 win. The veteran QB wore padding over his left oblique to protect the issue, and Macdonald added Monday that the Seahawks will balance "making sure we get enough reps at the proper tempo, with the proper looks," and get him "the reps that he needs." That would seem to suggest Darnold will operate with practice restrictions this week, with Wednesday's injury report to reveal how much activity he logs in the first session ahead of Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Rams.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Effective despite injury
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Darnold completed 12 of 17 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 41-6 divisional-round win over the 49ers.
Darnold suffered an oblique injury Thursday, and his status seemed genuinely in doubt until shortly before kickoff. However, he managed Seattle to victory, with his lone touchdown pass coming on an impressive throw on the run to Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the corner of the end zone from four yards away. Darnold also completed long passes of 21 and 16 yards, though his stat line was ultimately limited by game script and because he was removed with most of Seattle's starters for roughly half of the fourth quarter. Speaking after the victory, Darnold acknowledged that his oblique would likely be a factor for the rest of the postseason, per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him on the injury report Wednesday.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Hasn't thrown since oblique injury
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Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Darnold hasn't thrown a football since sustaining an oblique injury Thursday, but the Seahawks believe that the veteran quarterback will be cleared to start in Saturday's NFC divisional-round game against the 49ers.
Darnold underwent treatment on his oblique injury after exiting Thursday's practice early, and head coach Mike Macdonald expressed optimism that the former would be ready for Saturday's playoff tilt, per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. Drew Lock has taken the first-team reps over the past two days and would run the Seahawks' offense in the event that Darnold were to be ruled out or be taken out of Saturday's game. Rookie third-rounder Jalen Milroe -- who hasn't played since Week 5 against the Buccaneers -- is on standby as the QB3 behind Darnold and Lock.
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Added to injury report, plans to play
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Darnold (oblique) is listed as questionable for Saturday night's divisional-round game against the 49ers, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.
Darnold wasn't listed on the Seahawks' injury report Tuesday or Wednesday, so his addition to it Thursday as a limited participant, per Brady Henderson of ESPN.com, is notable and thus makes the QB's status worth tracking ahead of Saturday's 8:00 p.m. ET kickoff. As a result of Darnold's oblique issue, Drew Lock logged some first-team QB reps Thursday, per Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune. That said, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic relays that Darnold, who said he felt something during practice and didn't want to push it, elected to play it safe and got some rehab during Seattle's final practice this week, but he indicated that he feels like he'll be "ready to go for Saturday."
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Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Quiet in Week 17 win
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Darnold completed 18 of 27 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown with one interception in Sunday's 27-10 win over the Panthers. He added two rushing yards on three carries and lost one of two fumbles.
The passing yardage total was his second lowest of the season, but the Seahawks defense made sure that Darnold didn't need to produce too much offense. The 28-year-old QB did hit AJ Barner for a 17-yard score in the third quarter, giving Darnold 25 TD passes on the season -- the second straight year he's reached that mark -- and he needs just 150 passing yards to reach 4,000 for the second straight campaign. With Seattle potentially needing a win in Week 18 to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs, Darnold should be under center for the regular-season finale against the 49ers.
