Start Deshaun Watson or Sam Darnold? Week 7

Updated Oct 19, 2:31 PM ET. Locks at kickoff, graded after. Week 8 answer posts Tuesday.

Start Sam Darnold over Deshaun Watson

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

Deshaun Watson

QB · CLE · at TEN

Market projects: 14.8; recent weeks avg
TEN D vs QB: 15.5; 11th fewest to QBs (2026)
Snap share: 100%; Through Week 6

Should I drop Sam Darnold for Deshaun Watson?

Yes, on the rest of the season. Deshaun Watson projects 164 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (16.4 a game over 10 games), Sam Darnold 151 (15.1 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Sam Darnold over Deshaun Watson. So make the move after his Week 7 game.

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Our Week 7 call

Start Sam Darnold over Deshaun Watson in Week 7.

Market-based projections have Sam Darnold at 15.0 points and Deshaun Watson at 14.8, a gap of 0.2. That is inside the noise of a single catch, so treat it as close to a coin flip. 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 Deshaun Watson this week yet, so his 14.8 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 4 and 5 (13.4 and 16.3); the call is rebuilt when his market posts.

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 Deshaun Watson yet. His market-based projections were 13.4 and 16.3 points in Weeks 4 and 5, an average of 14.8, which stands in until his Week 7 market posts.

That puts Sam Darnold 0.2 points ahead of Deshaun Watson 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.

Deshaun Watson and CLE visit TEN on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

TEN allowed 15.5 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 5 games, the 11th fewest in the league.

Quarterbacks threw for 229 yards and a touchdown a game against TEN, with 0.4 interceptions.

By points allowed to the position, Deshaun Watson has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Sam Darnold is not on the injury report.

Deshaun Watson 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, Deshaun Watson played 100 percent of CLE snaps, dropped back 220 times and threw an average of 7.3 air yards per attempt.

Deshaun Watson, Week 3 against CAR: 69 of 70 snaps, 16 of 30 passes for 144 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, 9 carries for 47 yards.

Deshaun Watson, Week 4 against PIT: 64 of 64 snaps, 24 of 33 passes for 268 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception, 5 carries for 24 yards.

Deshaun Watson, Week 5 against NYJ: 68 of 68 snaps, 15 of 33 passes for 155 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions, 6 carries for 40 yards.

Deshaun Watson, Week 6 against BAL: 16 of 26 passes for 164 yards, 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, 8 carries for 29 yards.

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.

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 Deshaun Watson?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Deshaun Watson projects 164 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (16.4 a game over 10 games), Sam Darnold 151 (15.1 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Sam Darnold over Deshaun Watson. So make the move after his Week 7 game.
Should I drop Deshaun Watson for Sam Darnold?
No. Keep Deshaun Watson: he projects 164 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (16.4 a game over 10 games), Sam Darnold 151 (15.1 a game over 10 games). For Week 7 the call starts Sam Darnold over Deshaun Watson.