Should I start Kirk Cousins or Sam Darnold in Week 9?

The market-based projections

Kirk Cousins's market-based projection is 15.6 PPR points a game, built from 5 markets across 11 market sources. That is the 31st highest figure of the 219 players with a market-based projection.

Sam Darnold's market-based projection is 15.6 PPR points a game, built from 5 markets across 8 market sources. That is the 33rd highest figure of the 219 players with a market-based projection.

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on Kirk Cousins, and the board ranks him 109th overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Sam Darnold, and the board ranks him 115th overall on the rest of his evidence.

In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 26.

This season through Week 8

Through Week 8, Kirk Cousins has been on the field for 98 percent of LV snaps, dropped back 296 times and thrown 8.1 air yards an attempt.

He has been sacked or hit on 49 of 296 dropbacks and scrambled 5 times.

In Week 6 against BUF he completed 23 of 41 passes for 313 yards and threw 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

In Week 7 against LAR he completed 26 of 44 passes for 295 yards, threw 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 3 times for 6 yards.

In Week 8 against NYJ he completed 19 of 26 passes for 247 yards, threw 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 3 times for 5 yards.

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.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Kirk Cousins played 10 games and scored 108.5 PPR points, 10.9 a game, finishing QB35.

He threw for 1721 yards on 269 attempts with 10 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, and ran for 7 yards and 1 touchdown.

That came to 26.9 attempts a game at 6.4 yards an attempt.

He was on the field for 46 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

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.

Sam Darnold was available for 7 games more.

Head to head

In 2025 Sam Darnold scored 14.7 PPR points a game and Kirk Cousins 10.9, 3.8 a game between them.

Kirk Cousins finished QB35 that year and Sam Darnold QB13.

Sam Darnold had 208 more pass attempts than Kirk Cousins, 477 to 269.

Sam Darnold had 2327 more passing yards than Kirk Cousins, 4048 to 1721.

This season Kirk Cousins holds the bigger snap share, 98 percent against 90 percent.

Their target share this season is the same, 0 percent each.

Byes and availability

Kirk Cousins is off in Week 13 and Sam Darnold in Week 11, so either can cover the other's bye.

What would change the answer

0.1 points a game is the entire case. The market restates it every week, and a line that moves moves the order with it.

The draft market is the half that is missing: when live drafts hold these two again they can order them differently from the projection, and this page will follow the drafts rather than the market-based projection when they do.