Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold completed 17 of his 26 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 23-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2.

Fantasy Spin: Darnold has been solid through the first two weeks of the season, tossing a pair of touchdowns in both contests. The change of scenery has Darnold looking like a viable QB2.

From TheHuddle

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold completed 17-of-26 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the team's 23-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers. He added 32 yards on the ground on five carries. When Minnesota beat up on the New York Giants last weekend in their 28-6 win, Darnold's excellent performance could have been written off as a fluke. However, that case is no longer as cut-and-dry with the Viking's surprise defeat of the reigning NFC champions. It's been quite the start to the year for the 27-year-old, who is now on his fourth NFL squad. Through two contests, he's racked up 476 yards and four scores while completing a crisp 72% of his passes. Superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson -- who caught a 97-yard touchdown Sunday -- was diagnosed with a quad bruise during the matchup but does not believe he'll miss any time. With his stellar start, the third-overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft has begun to creep into streaming consideration leading up to the team's Week 3 tilt against the Houston Texans.

From RotoBaller

Dynasty | Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold completed 17-of-26 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Vikings win against San Francisco. Dynasty Analysis: Darnold has had a dream start to the year as he's led Minnesota to 51 points and two wins to start the season. While Darnold isn't putting up video game numbers, he's making solid decisions and taking care of the football. Today's game was extremely promising as he held strong against one of the league's toughest defenses. He could have had an even bigger game had Aaron Jones not fumbled a "would be" touchdown in the second half at the goal line. Darnold is going to be in consideration in Superflex leagues moving forward and should be rostered everywhere.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold surprised many fantasy managers by finishing as the 13th overall quarterback in Week 1 against the New York Giants and was a hair away from finishing in the top ten in the position. However, Darnold and the Vikings will face much tougher competition in Week 2 as the San Francisco 49ers travel to Minnesota. The 49ers defense held Aaron Rodgers to less than 10 fantasy points and under 200 yards passing on Monday Night Football. Added to the defensive challenge, the Vikings have ruled out wide receiver Jordan Addison (ankle) for Week 2, limiting potential explosive possibilities for Darnold's passing attack. While the seven-year veteran quarterback may perform better than Rodgers due to the better team and health context surrounding him, expect Darnold to regress a bit this week. He is mainly an option in 2QB or superflex leagues for Week 2.

From RotoBaller

Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold completed 19-of-24 passes for 208 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Week 1 against the New York Giants.

From TheHuddle

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold won't be active for Saturday's preseason showdown with the Cleveland Browns. Instead, No. 2 signal-caller Nick Mullens will get the start. With J.J. McCarthy (knee) out for the season, Darnold is now atop the Vikings depth chart. The 27-year-old spent his first six seasons in the league with the Jets, Panthers, and 49ers. However, he never met expectations, throwing for 12,064 yards, 63 touchdowns, and 56 interceptions while completing just 59.7% of his throws. While McCarthy could still eventually earn the starting job in Minnesota, Darnold has a chance to turn things around this season, especially with Justin Jefferson on the roster, arguably the top wideout in the National Football League.

From RotoBaller

Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold will not play in the preseason Week 2 game on Saturday, Aug. 17. QB Nick Mullens will start instead and QB Matt Corral will play after.

From TheHuddle

After the news of Minnesota Vikings rookie first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy (knee) being out for the season after undergoing season-ending knee surgery, head coach Kevin O'Connell was effusive in his praise for starting quarterback Sam Darnold. "Our football team has been and will continue to be excited about Sam Darnold and what he's been able to bring," O'Connell stated before the beginning of the team's joint practice with the Cleveland Browns. Darnold is now pressed into action for what looks to be the entirety of 2024 following the stunning injury news about the 2024 No. 10 overall pick McCarthy. While the excitement in fantasy circles for the former first-round pick Darnold is somewhat shaky, he's clearly in the best situation he's been in as a pro. Darnold is at worst a low-end streaming QB2 option in redraft leagues and a low-end QB2/high-end QB3 in superflex formats.

From RotoBaller

With Minnesota Vikings rookie first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy (knee) scheduled to under knee surgery, Sam Darnold is now squarely in line to be the team's opening-day starting QB in Week 1 against the New York Giants. Even if McCarthy was fully healthy, Darnold was expected to open as Minnesota's starting signal-caller, but the 27-year-old former first-rounder should have a longer leash now, especially if McCarthy needs a full meniscus repair. Darnold has been handling most of the first-team reps in training camp, and now he'll get even more with McCarthy sidelined. Fantasy managers aren't going to be expecting much from Darnold after he was a bust with the New York Jets, but he could pass as a serviceable low-end QB2 in superflex leagues with the best supporting cast on offense he's ever had in his career.

From RotoBaller

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that the team will play the majority of their players in the preseason opener on Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders. Quarterback Sam Darnold will start under center, and then rookie first-rounder J.J. McCarthy will get "a significant amount of work." Jaren Hall will come in after McCarthy. Nick Mullens, who has the most experience in the system, might not play much but will get more playing time later in the preseason. Unsurprisingly, Darnold, a former first-rounder himself, was listed atop the team's preseason depth chart and is fully expected to open the year as the starter as the Vikings slowly develop McCarthy as the long-term starter at QB. The 27-year-old Darnold is in the best offense talent-wise of his career, but he still won't be much more than a low-end QB2 in superflex fantasy formats.

From RotoBaller

The Minnesota Vikings have listed Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback on the first unofficial depth chart, with rookie J.J. McCarthy and Nick Mullens tied for the backup spot. While preseason depth charts can be fluid, Darnold's placement as the starter matches the reports from Vikings beat writers throughout the summer. Notably, the chart lists "McCarthy or Nick Mullens" as the primary backups behind Darnold. Darnold has consistently taken first-team reps from the offseason program through the first two weeks of training camp. The Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year deal worth up to $10 million, with $8.75 million guaranteed, indicating their intent to give him the initial opportunity to start despite using their first-round pick on McCarthy. For fantasy purposes, the critical question is how well Darnold connects with Justin Jefferson, which will influence Jefferson's value as a first-round pick. Darnold, meanwhile, is expected to be a low-end QB2 in two-quarterback leagues.

From RotoBaller

Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold is listed as the starting quarterback on the depth chart for the preseason opener.

Fantasy Spin: There's still time for J.J. McCarthy to overtake him. In any event, Darnold is a weak QB2 that is really only an option in leagues that start two QBs.

From TheHuddle

Carolina Panthers QB Sam Darnold (quadriceps) will be sidelined for a few weeks because of a quadriceps injury, according to head coach Dave Canales.

From TheHuddle

Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw and the team have agreed on a four-year contract extension worth up to $113 million, with $77 million in guaranteed money for the franchise tackle. A foundational piece for the Vikings since joining the team as a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the former Virginia Tech Hokie has started 39 of 41 games in three seasons. The pact for the 25-year-old Darrisaw includes $43.7 million at signing and will keep him in purple and gold for the foreseeable future as a protector for Sam Darnold and rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

From RotoBaller

Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold will receive a majority of the snaps with the first-team offense when training camp practices start, according to head coach Kevin O'Connell. O'Connell said QB J.J. McCarthy will also receive work with the starting offense.

Fantasy Spin: It seems like Darnold is on track to be the Week 1 starting quarterback, but fantasy players can keep an eye on the situation over the next several weeks. He should be considered a No. 2 fantasy quarterback if he wins the job.

From TheHuddle

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that quarterback Sam Darnold will take the majority of the first-team QB snaps in training camp this summer, although rookie first-rounder J.J. McCarthy will get some first-team work as well. This isn't breaking news, as the Vikings announced in early June that Darnold, a former first-rounder himself, would head to camp as the QB1 as they look to give McCarthy plenty of time to develop as their potential franchise signal-caller. Darnold looked sharp in offseason workouts and is working with the best supporting cast of his career in Minnesota. His fantasy stock is on the rise as a QB2 in fantasy and is ranked as the No. 17 QB by RotoBaller. However, Darnold is going to need to perform well in 2024 in his first year in Minnesota if he wants to hold off McCarthy all season long.

From RotoBaller

Dynasty | At this point in time, Sam Darnold appears to be the QB1 in Minnesota. Dynasty Analysis: Of all the "rookie quarterback battles" (those are usually nothing more than fake competitions), this one seems pretty legitimate. JJ McCarthy still has some work to do and Darnold seems to be more than capable enough to hold down the fort until he's ready. Darnold clearly looks like he has one more chance to prove he's a starting quarterback in the league and while that may come in an early season audition for other teams while he keeps the seat warm for McCarthy, there is still dynasty value by having him on a roster.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that he'd call quarterback Sam Darnold his No. 1 QB at the moment this offseason, even though the Vikings haven't had to put out a depth chart yet in 2024. It's not a surprise with the team slow-playing first-rounder J.J. McCarthy's development during offseason workouts. On top of it, the 27-year-old Darnold has looked really good at mandatory minicamp and has taken all of the first-team repetitions to this point. All signs point to Darnold seeing most of the first-team reps in training camp this summer, too, before opening the regular season as the starter under center in Minnesota. While the Vikings offense could be the best that Darnold has ever worked with, he'll be a low-end QB2, at best, in superflex leagues in 2024. McCarthy, meanwhile, will have his chance to prove he's the starter in 2024 as well, but he's more of a dynasty/keeper asset for now.

From RotoBaller

Dynasty | The Vikings currently have Sam Darnold as their QB1. Dynasty Analysis: Noted. It seems Minnesota will attempt to create a competition between Darnold and rookie JJ McCarthy, a competition McCarthy will almost assuredly win. Darnold looked like he had a chance for another legitimate shot at starting but the drafting of McCarthy has thrown a big bucket of cold water on that sentiment. It's hard to see him holding this spot for long in training camp. Darnold is roster worthy in 2QB leagues but a tough hold in 1QB formats.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold is the leading candidate for the starting quarterback job at this point, according to head coach Kevin O'Connell.

Fantasy Spin: Darnold will compete with J.J. McCarthy for the starting job during training camp, so fantasy players will need to keep an eye on the situation. The winner of the job probably should be considered a No. 2 quarterback in fantasy leagues.

From TheHuddle