Start Dak Prescott or Sam Darnold? Week 7

Updated Oct 20, 2:56 PM ET. Locks at kickoff, graded after. Week 8 answer posts Tuesday.

Start Dak Prescott over Sam Darnold

Start

Dak Prescott

QB · DAL · at PHI

Market projects: 19.1; fantasy pts
PHI D vs QB: 19.4; 9th most to QBs (2026)
Upside: High; 100 of 100 at QB
Snap share: 100%; Through Week 6

Sit

Sam Darnold

QB · SEA · vs KC

Market projects: 16.5; fantasy pts
KC D vs QB: 12.6; 3rd fewest to QBs (2026)
Upside: Limited; 32 of 100 at QB
Snap share: 86%; Through Week 6

Should I drop Sam Darnold for Dak Prescott?

Yes, on the rest of the season. Dak Prescott projects 182 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (18.2 a game over 10 games), Sam Darnold 151 (15.1 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Dak Prescott over Sam Darnold, 19.1 to 16.5 projected PPR points.

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Our Week 7 call

Start Dak Prescott over Sam Darnold in Week 7.

Market-based projections have Dak Prescott at 19.1 points and Sam Darnold at 16.5, a gap of 2.6. Both numbers are scaled up from a partial market: not every stat the position needs is posted yet, so the rest is estimated from what is. Drafters take Dak Prescott at ADP 64 and Sam Darnold at 155. Market coverage on Dak Prescott is 70 percent of what his position needs, so the market side of this carries proportionally less weight.

What the market projects

Player markets imply 19.1 fantasy points for Dak Prescott, with 70 percent of the markets a QB needs posted.

The market-based projection for Dak Prescott is 266 passing yards, 1-2 passing touchdowns and 0.2 rushing touchdowns (5, 9 and 11 market sources).

Player markets imply 16.5 fantasy points for Sam Darnold, with 80 percent of the markets a QB needs posted.

The market-based projection for Sam Darnold is 225 passing yards, 1-2 passing touchdowns and 0.1 rushing touchdowns (9, 12 and 12 market sources).

That puts Dak Prescott 2.6 points ahead of Sam Darnold on the market projections.

Week 7 matchups

Dak Prescott and DAL visit PHI on Monday at 8:15 PM ET.

PHI allowed 19.4 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 6 games, the 9th most in the league.

Quarterbacks threw for 254 yards and 1.3 touchdowns a game against PHI, with 0.5 interceptions a game.

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

KC allowed 12.6 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 5 games, the 3rd fewest in the league.

Quarterbacks threw for 224 yards and 0.8 touchdowns a game against KC, with an interception a game.

By points allowed to the position, Dak Prescott has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Dak Prescott is not on the injury report.

Sam Darnold is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 7

Through Week 6, Dak Prescott played 100 percent of DAL snaps, dropped back 265 times and threw an average of 7.4 air yards per attempt.

Dak Prescott, Week 3 against BAL: 74 of 74 snaps, 25 of 40 passes for 276 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions, 4 carries for 19 yards.

Dak Prescott, Week 4 against HOU: 78 of 78 snaps, 32 of 45 passes for 335 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions, 2 carries for 7 yards.

Dak Prescott, Week 5 against TB: 60 of 60 snaps, 24 of 42 passes for 316 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.

Dak Prescott, Week 6 against GB: 78 of 78 snaps, 34 of 54 passes for 258 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions, 2 carries for 7 yards.

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.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Dak Prescott played 17 games for DAL and scored 323.8 PPR points, 19.0 a game, finishing QB6.

He completed 404 of 600 passes for 4552 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and ran 53 times for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns.

He was on the field for 98 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

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.

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 Sam Darnold for Dak Prescott?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Dak Prescott projects 182 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (18.2 a game over 10 games), Sam Darnold 151 (15.1 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Dak Prescott over Sam Darnold, 19.1 to 16.5 projected PPR points.
Should I drop Dak Prescott for Sam Darnold?
No. Keep Dak Prescott: he projects 182 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (18.2 a game over 10 games), Sam Darnold 151 (15.1 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Dak Prescott over Sam Darnold, 19.1 to 16.5 projected PPR points.