Should I start Sam Darnold or Jared Goff in Week 9?
Updated Nov 3, 11:11 AM ET. Week 10 answers post Tuesday.
Sam Darnold and Jared Goff are too close to call on usage: 100 percent of the snaps and 0 percent of the targets against 99 percent of the snaps and 0 percent of the targets over their last 3 games. No market projection is posted on either of them this week, so this is a usage call, and a lower confidence one than a call made on a projection. What follows is what each of them has done.
Should I drop Sam Darnold for Jared Goff?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Jared Goff projects 150 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (16.7 a game over 9 games), Sam Darnold 122 (15.3 a game over 8 games).
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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
- 15.8 pts a game Wk 8 price
- Overall rank
- 155
QB27 · DET · bye 6
2026 vs pass yds line 4-3
- Market-based projection
- 16.0 pts a game Wk 8 price
- Overall rank
- 177
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The gap
- Board size301 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 155th overall on the rest of his evidence.
In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 26.
Live drafts hold no current pick on Jared Goff, and the board ranks him 177th overall on the rest of his evidence.
The market-based projections
The market-based projection for Sam Darnold is 1.0 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 Jared Goff is 0.6 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 through Week 8
Through Week 8, Sam Darnold has been on the field for 89 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 8, Jared Goff has been on the field for 99 percent of DET snaps, dropped back 269 times and thrown 7.7 air yards an attempt.
He has been sacked or hit on 41 of 269 dropbacks and scrambled 5 times.
In Week 5 against ARI he completed 19 of 30 passes for 271 yards, threw 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 1 time for 1 yards.
In Week 7 against GB he completed 22 of 32 passes for 303 yards, threw 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 1 time for 0 yards.
In Week 8 against MIN he completed 18 of 25 passes for 176 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 1 interception and ran 1 time for 2 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 Jared Goff played 17 games and scored 305.1 PPR points, 17.9 a game, finishing QB9.
He threw for 4564 yards on 578 attempts with 34 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, and ran for 45 yards and 0 touchdowns.
That came to 34.0 attempts a game at 7.9 yards an attempt.
He was on the field for 98 percent of the snaps in the games he played.
Both were available for 17 games that season.
Head to head
In 2025 Jared Goff scored 17.9 PPR points a game and Sam Darnold 14.7, 3.3 a game between them.
Sam Darnold finished QB13 that year and Jared Goff QB9.
Jared Goff had 101 more pass attempts than Sam Darnold, 578 to 477.
Jared Goff had 516 more passing yards than Sam Darnold, 4564 to 4048.
This season Jared Goff holds the bigger snap share, 99 percent against 89 percent.
Their target share this season is the same, 0 percent each.
Byes and availability
Sam Darnold is off in Week 11 and Jared Goff in Week 6, so either can cover the other's bye.
Drop or keep
Should I drop Sam Darnold for Jared Goff?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Jared Goff projects 150 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (16.7 a game over 9 games), Sam Darnold 122 (15.3 a game over 8 games).
Should I drop Jared Goff for Sam Darnold?
No. Keep Jared Goff: he projects 150 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (16.7 a game over 9 games), Sam Darnold 122 (15.3 a game over 8 games).
Both players in full
Week 9 on the board
- Is Sam Darnold playing Week 9?
- Is Jared Goff playing Week 9?
- Seahawks depth chart
- Lions depth chart
- Week 9 QB rankings
- Week 9 fantasy rankings
- Week 9 start or sit
- Week 9 waiver wire
- Week 9 trade value chart
- Trade deadline buy low, sell high
- Fantasy football rankings
- Start 'em sit 'em Week 9
- Waiver wire pickups
- Fantasy sleepers
- Rest of season rankings
- Week 9 kicker rankings
- Week 9 defense rankings
