The 3rd overall pick Sam Darnold will be starting for the New York Jets. This became clear after the Jets traded away once starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to the New Orleans Saints. Those that’s not familiar with Darnold he was a Phenom for the USC Trojans. His first season starting was better than his second where he turned the ball over with 13 interceptions and 9 fumbles. The stat that these turnovers don’t show is his freshmen year he was surrounded with talent like Juju Smith-Schuster, Ronald Jones II, and De’Quan Hampton. Now he isn’t surrounded by great talent in New York but he is surrounded by experienced talent.
With the New York Jets Darnold has a couple things working for him. Josh McCown is his backup and is willing to teach and coach him up on how to read coverages and understanding where his receivers will be. It’s nothing like having a coach that you can actually relate to and that’s what McCown will be for Darnold. The offensive pieces that Darnold has in the backfield and on the outside, are slightly above average. Jermaine Kearse and Robbie Anderson played great for the Jets last year. Quincy Enunwa and Terrelle Pryor will round out a solid receiving core. In the backfield Darnold has Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell who when healthy have put up some good numbers. With all that said Darnold will have a couple things going against him. The offensive line is either past their prime or inexperienced. In the NFL, the coverages are more complex and he won’t have a lot of time to try and read the coverage with this patchwork o-line. The Tight end position for the Jets is non-existent. This is a concern of mine because young quarterbacks tend to depend on their tight end to be there when nobody else is. So, he will have to find another safety coat in crisis.
With all that said you probably want to know his fantasy value. Well if you’re in a dynasty league draft Darnold. In PPR and standard formats there is a lot of other quarterbacks worth getting to lead your fantasy team. However, I would go for Darnold for a bye week fill in. There is a stretch in the schedule where Darnold will get the Bears, Dolphins, and Bills in consecutive weeks. This will give him an opportunity to build his confidence up and get a feel for reading coverages. Which I believe is the only hole in his game. He has the talent surrounding him to post a good rookie year. Most games the Jets will be in a position where they will have to throw so he will be learning on the fly. Get Sam Darnold on your watch list he is definitely on mine. I have a feeling we will be talking about him as a fantasy stud before the season is out.
Written By: Marcus Hemingway
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