Sam Darnold's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that the team will play the majority of their players in the preseason opener on Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders. Quarterback Sam Darnold will start under center, and then rookie first-rounder J.J. McCarthy will get "a significant amount of work." Jaren Hall will come in after McCarthy. Nick Mullens, who has the most experience in the system, might not play much but will get more playing time later in the preseason. Unsurprisingly, Darnold, a former first-rounder himself, was listed atop the team's preseason depth chart and is fully expected to open the year as the starter as the Vikings slowly develop McCarthy as the long-term starter at QB. The 27-year-old Darnold is in the best offense talent-wise of his career, but he still won't be much more than a low-end QB2 in superflex fantasy formats.

The Minnesota Vikings have listed Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback on the first unofficial depth chart, with rookie J.J. McCarthy and Nick Mullens tied for the backup spot. While preseason depth charts can be fluid, Darnold's placement as the starter matches the reports from Vikings beat writers throughout the summer. Notably, the chart lists "McCarthy or Nick Mullens" as the primary backups behind Darnold. Darnold has consistently taken first-team reps from the offseason program through the first two weeks of training camp. The Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year deal worth up to $10 million, with $8.75 million guaranteed, indicating their intent to give him the initial opportunity to start despite using their first-round pick on McCarthy. For fantasy purposes, the critical question is how well Darnold connects with Justin Jefferson, which will influence Jefferson's value as a first-round pick. Darnold, meanwhile, is expected to be a low-end QB2 in two-quarterback leagues.

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that quarterback Sam Darnold will take the majority of the first-team QB snaps in training camp this summer, although rookie first-rounder J.J. McCarthy will get some first-team work as well. This isn't breaking news, as the Vikings announced in early June that Darnold, a former first-rounder himself, would head to camp as the QB1 as they look to give McCarthy plenty of time to develop as their potential franchise signal-caller. Darnold looked sharp in offseason workouts and is working with the best supporting cast of his career in Minnesota. His fantasy stock is on the rise as a QB2 in fantasy and is ranked as the No. 17 QB by RotoBaller. However, Darnold is going to need to perform well in 2024 in his first year in Minnesota if he wants to hold off McCarthy all season long.

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that he'd call quarterback Sam Darnold his No. 1 QB at the moment this offseason, even though the Vikings haven't had to put out a depth chart yet in 2024. It's not a surprise with the team slow-playing first-rounder J.J. McCarthy's development during offseason workouts. On top of it, the 27-year-old Darnold has looked really good at mandatory minicamp and has taken all of the first-team repetitions to this point. All signs point to Darnold seeing most of the first-team reps in training camp this summer, too, before opening the regular season as the starter under center in Minnesota. While the Vikings offense could be the best that Darnold has ever worked with, he'll be a low-end QB2, at best, in superflex leagues in 2024. McCarthy, meanwhile, will have his chance to prove he's the starter in 2024 as well, but he's more of a dynasty/keeper asset for now.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has looked calm, confident and prepared at the team's mandatory minicamp this week for what is likely to be another starting opportunity for him in the NFL to start the 2024 season. Darnold's consistency has stood out all week, and he's shown good chemistry with top receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. He also took every first-team repetition over rookie first-rounder J.J. McCarthy, who is being eased in while learning new concepts. "This is the best team he's been on. This is the best system for him. He's hopefully going to find the ceiling of his play this season for us," defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said. The 27-year-old former first-rounder is going to need to play well to hold off McCarthy in 2024, but if he's the starter, Darnold will have QB2 appeal in superflex leagues given the talent that he's working with on offense.