Start Sam Darnold or Aaron Rodgers? Week 7

Updated Oct 19, 2:16 PM ET. Locks at kickoff, graded after. Week 8 answer posts Tuesday.

Early kickoff: 9:30 AM ET, set your lineup before then.

Start Sam Darnold over Aaron Rodgers

Start

Sam Darnold

QB · SEA · vs KC

Market projects: 15.0; recent weeks avg
KC D vs QB: 13.4; 3rd fewest to QBs (2026)
Snap share: 86%; Through Week 6

Sit

Aaron Rodgers

QB · PIT · at NO

Market projects: 13.3; recent weeks avg
NO D vs QB: 17.1; 16th fewest to QBs (2026)
Snap share: 98%; Through Week 6

Should I drop Aaron Rodgers for Sam Darnold?

Yes, on the rest of the season. Sam Darnold projects 151 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (15.1 a game over 10 games), Aaron Rodgers 142 (14.2 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Sam Darnold over Aaron Rodgers.

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Our Week 7 call

Start Sam Darnold over Aaron Rodgers in Week 7.

Market-based projections have Sam Darnold at 15.0 points and Aaron Rodgers at 13.3, a gap of 1.8. No player market is posted for Sam Darnold this week yet, so his 15.0 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 4 and 5 (14.5 and 15.5); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. No player market is posted for Aaron Rodgers this week yet, so his 13.3 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 4 and 5 (12.0 and 14.5); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. Drafters take Sam Darnold at ADP 155 and Aaron Rodgers at 231.

What the market projects

No Week 7 player market is posted for Sam Darnold yet. His market-based projections were 14.5 and 15.5 points in Weeks 4 and 5, an average of 15.0, which stands in until his Week 7 market posts.

No Week 7 player market is posted for Aaron Rodgers yet. His market-based projections were 12.0 and 14.5 points in Weeks 4 and 5, an average of 13.3, which stands in until his Week 7 market posts.

That puts Sam Darnold 1.8 points ahead of Aaron Rodgers on these projections.

Week 7 matchups

Sam Darnold and SEA host KC on Sunday at 8:20 PM ET.

KC allowed 13.4 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 4 games, the 3rd fewest in the league.

Quarterbacks threw for 229 yards and a touchdown a game against KC, with an interception.

Aaron Rodgers and PIT visit NO on Sunday at 9:30 AM ET.

NO allowed 17.1 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 5 games, the 16th fewest in the league.

Quarterbacks threw for 228 yards and 1.6 touchdowns a game against NO, with 0.2 interceptions.

By points allowed to the position, Aaron Rodgers has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Sam Darnold is not on the injury report.

Aaron Rodgers is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 7

Through Week 6, Sam Darnold played 86 percent of SEA snaps, dropped back 166 times and threw an average of 7.3 air yards per attempt.

Sam Darnold, Week 3 against WAS: 67 of 67 snaps, 31 of 45 passes for 379 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, 1 carry for 5 yards.

Sam Darnold, Week 4 against LAC: 60 of 60 snaps, 13 of 22 passes for 168 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception, 1 carry for 8 yards.

Sam Darnold, Week 5 against SF: 63 of 63 snaps, 18 of 29 passes for 195 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions, 1 carry for 5 yards.

Sam Darnold, Week 6 against DEN: 85 of 85 snaps, 27 of 49 passes for 278 yards, 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, 2 carries for 19 yards.

Through Week 6, Aaron Rodgers played 98 percent of PIT snaps, dropped back 252 times and threw an average of 7.7 air yards per attempt.

Aaron Rodgers, Week 3 against CIN: 62 of 62 snaps, 19 of 33 passes for 292 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception, 1 carry for 12 yards.

Aaron Rodgers, Week 4 against CLE: 72 of 72 snaps, 22 of 40 passes for 299 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

Aaron Rodgers, Week 5 against IND: 58 of 60 snaps, 22 of 31 passes for 235 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, 1 carry for 6 yards.

Aaron Rodgers, Week 6 against TB: 33 of 47 passes for 253 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Sam Darnold played 17 games for SEA and scored 249.4 PPR points, 14.7 a game, finishing QB13.

He completed 323 of 477 passes for 4048 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, and ran 35 times for 95 yards and 0 touchdowns.

He was on the field for 96 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

In 2025, Aaron Rodgers played 16 games for PIT and scored 234.1 PPR points, 14.6 a game, finishing QB18.

He completed 327 of 498 passes for 3322 yards, 24 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, and ran 21 times for 61 yards and 1 touchdown.

He was on the field for 95 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Their other Week 7 calls

Locks at kickoff, graded after. When the start/sit engine grades week 7, the call and the result appear on the public record, wrong ones included.

Drop or keep

Should I drop Aaron Rodgers for Sam Darnold?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Sam Darnold projects 151 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (15.1 a game over 10 games), Aaron Rodgers 142 (14.2 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Sam Darnold over Aaron Rodgers.
Should I drop Sam Darnold for Aaron Rodgers?
No. Keep Sam Darnold: he projects 151 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (15.1 a game over 10 games), Aaron Rodgers 142 (14.2 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Sam Darnold over Aaron Rodgers.