How will the Sam Darnold signing affect fantasy football?

Sam Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks on a three year, $100 million contract with getting $55 million in guaranteed money. This is interesting for the Seahawks because they just traded away their star quarterback Geno Smith to the Raiders for a third-round pick. Also, they just cut receiver Tyler Lockett and traded away DK Metcalf. It looks as if the Seahawks are trying to build for the future with Darnold, him being only 27 now. But, how will Sam Darnold's arrival in Seattle affect fantasy football this season?

Last season with the Vikings, Darnold threw for 4319 yards with 35 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. This jump by Darnold was surprising, to say the least, as he nearly doubled his career high in touchdowns before this season. If you recall, the season didn't end well for the Vikings and him as they were one game away from the first round bye, and then lost in the Wild Card game to the Rams, 27-9 in which Darnold had zero touchdowns.

Fantasy-wise, last season Sam Darnold was the quarterback seven in PPR leagues. He comes in taking over a Seahawks team with a horrible offensive line, and almost no receiving threats. The Seahawks receiving room now consists of Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo, which is less than impressive. Free agency just started though, so they still have time to make a move on maybe someone like Cooper Kupp, or draft a guy like Emeka Egbuka or another offensive lineman in the draft.

While Sam Darnold did have a career year last season, we just can't give him a ranking of anywhere higher than the QB8 or 9 this season. If the Seahawks do improve their supporting cast for him, he could jump to the quarterback six or seven. But, don't be surprised if he falls into a drought and ends up the QB15. After all, he had a dang near perfect supporting cast in Minnesota, so there are still questions if he can get the job done.

Article written by Jackson Corona