Should I start Sam Darnold or Geno Smith in Week 10?
Updated Nov 10, 2:26 PM ET. Week 11 answers post Tuesday.
Latest
Week 10 verdict
Start Geno Smith over Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold is listed out, so Geno Smith starts despite the lower projection.
- Market projects
- 15.0
- recent weeks avg
- BUF D vs QB
- 19.0
- 10th most to QBs (2026)
- Snap share
- 100%
- Through Week 9
- Market projects
- 15.4
- recent weeks avg
- LV D vs QB
- 20.6
- 5th most to QBs (2026)
- Snap share
- 90%
- Through Week 8
Start Geno Smith over Sam Darnold in Week 10. Sam Darnold is listed out, so Geno Smith starts despite the lower projection. Darnold is listed out.
Should I drop Geno Smith for Sam Darnold?
Not on these numbers alone. Geno Smith projects 105 market-implied PPR points from Week 10 through Week 17 (15.0 a game over 7 games) and Sam Darnold 106 (15.1 a game over 7 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it. For Week 10 the call starts Geno Smith over Sam Darnold. Sam Darnold is listed out.
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Your next move
More fantasy football tools and rankings, all built from the same board.
Neither man carries a season projection right now, so this is their usage this season and their last full season's numbers, side by side.
QB24 · SEA · bye 11
2026 vs pass yds line 3-4
- Market-based projection
- 14.7 pts a game Wk 9 price
- Overall rank
- 178
QB26 · NYJ · bye 13
2026 vs pass yds line 6-3
- Market-based projection
- 14.2 pts a game Wk 9 price
- Overall rank
- 187
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The gap
- Board size307 draftable players
Draft data is not current for these two, so the figures that depend on it are left out. The call above comes from each player's usage.
Where the draft room stands
Live drafts hold no current pick on Sam Darnold, and the board ranks him 178th overall on the rest of his evidence.
In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 26.
Live drafts hold no current pick on Geno Smith, and the board ranks him 187th overall on the rest of his evidence.
The market-based projections
The market-based projection for Sam Darnold is 0.7 PPR points a game off 1 market across 1 market source. That is 0 percent of what a quarterback's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.
The market-based projection for Geno Smith is 0.5 PPR points a game off 1 market across 1 market source. That is 0 percent of what a quarterback's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.
Sam Darnold's projection is not complete, so the two figures are not set against each other here.
This season so far
Through Week 8, Sam Darnold has been on the field for 90 percent of SEA snaps, dropped back 235 times and thrown 6.9 air yards an attempt.
He has been sacked or hit on 45 of 235 dropbacks and scrambled 9 times.
In Week 6 against DEN he completed 27 of 49 passes for 278 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions and ran 2 times for 19 yards.
In Week 7 against KC he completed 20 of 28 passes for 257 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 1 interception and ran 2 times for 17 yards.
In Week 8 against CHI he completed 17 of 34 passes for 188 yards, threw 2 touchdowns and 1 interception and ran 2 times for 20 yards.
Through Week 9, Geno Smith has been on the field for 100 percent of NYJ snaps, dropped back 310 times and thrown 7.5 air yards an attempt.
He has been sacked or hit on 53 of 310 dropbacks and scrambled 12 times.
In Week 7 against MIA he completed 23 of 30 passes for 287 yards, threw 3 touchdowns and 1 interception and ran 1 time for 1 yards.
In Week 8 against LV he completed 20 of 32 passes for 290 yards, threw 2 touchdowns and 1 interception and ran 1 time for 4 yards.
In Week 9 against KC he completed 18 of 32 passes for 165 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 1 time for 8 yards.
Their 2025 seasons
In 2025 Sam Darnold played 17 games and scored 249.4 PPR points, 14.7 a game, finishing QB13.
He threw for 4048 yards on 477 attempts with 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, and ran for 95 yards and 0 touchdowns.
That came to 28.1 attempts a game at 9 yards an attempt.
He was on the field for 96 percent of the snaps in the games he played.
In 2025 Geno Smith played 15 games and scored 190.9 PPR points, 12.7 a game, finishing QB23.
He threw for 3025 yards on 448 attempts with 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, and ran for 109 yards and 0 touchdowns.
That came to 29.9 attempts a game at 6.8 yards an attempt.
He was on the field for 97 percent of the snaps in the games he played.
Sam Darnold was available for 2 games more.
Head to head
In 2025 Sam Darnold scored 14.7 PPR points a game and Geno Smith 12.7, 1.9 a game between them.
Sam Darnold finished QB13 that year and Geno Smith QB23.
Sam Darnold had 29 more pass attempts than Geno Smith, 477 to 448.
Sam Darnold had 1023 more passing yards than Geno Smith, 4048 to 3025.
This season Geno Smith holds the bigger snap share, 100 percent against 90 percent.
Their target share this season is the same, 0 percent each.
Byes and availability
Sam Darnold is off in Week 11 and Geno Smith in Week 13, so either can cover the other's bye.
Sam Darnold is listed as out on the injury report.
Drop or keep
Should I drop Geno Smith for Sam Darnold?
Not on these numbers alone. Geno Smith projects 105 market-implied PPR points from Week 10 through Week 17 (15.0 a game over 7 games) and Sam Darnold 106 (15.1 a game over 7 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it. For Week 10 the call starts Geno Smith over Sam Darnold. Sam Darnold is listed out.
Should I drop Sam Darnold for Geno Smith?
Not on these numbers alone. Sam Darnold projects 106 market-implied PPR points from Week 10 through Week 17 (15.1 a game over 7 games) and Geno Smith 105 (15.0 a game over 7 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it. For Week 10 the call starts Geno Smith over Sam Darnold. Sam Darnold is listed out.
Both players in full
Week 10 on the board
- Is Sam Darnold playing Week 10?
- Is Geno Smith playing Week 10?
- Seahawks depth chart
- Jets depth chart
- Week 10 QB rankings
- Week 10 fantasy rankings
- Week 10 start or sit
- Week 10 waiver wire
- Week 10 trade value chart
- Trade deadline buy low, sell high
- Fantasy football rankings
- Start 'em sit 'em Week 10
- Waiver wire pickups
- Fantasy sleepers
- Rest of season rankings
- Week 10 kicker rankings
- Week 10 defense rankings
