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Sam Darnold Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Shark Bites are the latest fantasy football news & NFL updates. Draft Sharks has been in business since 1999. And when we started, redraft was the dominant form of fantasy football. Check out what we've learned about this most basic form of fantasy football along the way.

Vikings QB Sam Darnold threw for 268 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's victory over the 49ers. Darnold added 32 rushing yards and sits third among Week 2 fantasy QBs heading into the Monday night game. The biggest strike came on a 97-yard TD to WR Justin Jefferson that found Darnold hitting his WR in stride about 50 yards down the field.

Vikings QB Sam Darnold was 19/24 for 208 yards including two TDs and an INT. He also added three yards on three rushes in the Vikings dominant 28-6 win over the Giants. He threw the touchdowns to WR Justin Jefferson and WR Jalen Nailor in the game.

The Vikings announced Wednesday that QB J.J. McCarthy will miss the entire 2024 season. Surgery on the meniscus in the rookie's right knee revealed that he needed a full repair.

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy will underdog knee surgery after complaining about knee soreness. After an MRI, it was revealed that he has a torn meniscus in his right knee. The amount of time he will miss is currently unknown, but we will update when more information is available.

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday that Sam Darnold will open training camp as the team's No. 1 QB. O'Connell did not commit to anything beyond that, though, saying that he plans for a "competitive" training camp.

In recapping the Vikings' just-completed minicamp, The Athletic's Alec Lewis says QB Sam Darnold "looked calm, confident and prepared for what is likely to be another starting opportunity." Lewis also highlighted the inconsistency in rookie QB J.J. McCarthy's performance, adding that it should be expected for the first-round pick. Lewis added that Darnold took every first-team rep in the minicamp and that McCarthy didn't work with starters when the Vikings split into "starters" and "developmental" groups. Minnesota signed Darnold to a one-year, $10 million contract before the draft, with $8.75 million of that fully guaranteed. That doesn't lock in Darnold as the starter for any portion of the coming season. But it's enough money to suggest that we shouldn't be surprised if he opens the year behind center.

The Vikings acquired the 23rd overall pick of this year's draft -- plus pick No. 232 -- from the Texans in exchange for picks 42, 188, and a 2025 second-rounder. Minnesota now holds the 11th and 23rd overall picks in the draft. The obvious conclusion here is that the Vikings are stockpiling ammo to make a move up for a QB. They'd likely need to trade into the top three to land Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, or Drake Maye. Or they could make a smaller move up for J.J. McCarthy. Any of those guys would be good news for the short and long-term fantasy outlooks of WR Justin Jefferson, WR Jordan Addison, and TE T.J. Hockenson. QB Sam Darnold currently tops Minnesota's depth chart.

The Vikings and QB Sam Darnold agreed to a one-year deal worth "up to" $10 million, NFL Network reports. That's more than "backup money" but doesn't necessarily guarantee Darnold the 2024 starting job. Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall are the other QBs currently on the roster, but Minnesota could certainly add a rookie in April's draft. It's been a popular landing spot for Michigan's J.J. McCarthy in mock drafts. Darnold attempted 46 passes for the 49ers last year, with 26 of them coming in a meaningless regular-season finale. He started 17 games for the Panthers across the 2021 and 2022 seasons, completing 59.5% of his passes at 6.7 yards per attempt -- right around his career averages. Darnold would be a significant downgrade from QB Kirk Cousins for Minnesota's pass catchers.

49ers QB Sam Darnold will start Sunday's regular-season finale vs. the Rams, HC Kyle Shanahan announced Wednesday. QB Brock Purdy will join RB Christian McCaffrey on the sidelines for that one after San Francisco locked up the NFC's No. 1 seed. WR Deebo Samuel, WR Brandon Aiyuk, and TE George Kittle are unlikely to play much, if at all, against the Rams.

QB Brock Purdy has cleared the concussion protocol and will start Sunday for the 49ers against the Bengals. We’ve been expecting this outcome and switched from Sam Darnold to Purdy in our Week 8 rankings on Friday

49ers QB Brock Purdy (concussion) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. He's made some progress through the protocol and has a chance to be cleared in time for Sunday's game vs. the Bengals. But, as of now, we'd still consider QB Sam Darnold more likely to start that one.

Niners QB Brock Purdy has entered the league concussion protocol. The Athletic's Matt Barrows reports that Purdy began showing symptoms on the flight back from the Monday night loss at Minnesota. The timing obviously puts Purdy's status in question for Sunday's game against the Bengals. Sam Darnold would be in line to start if Purdy can't go. We'll track the situation throughout the week.

The 49ers have named Sam Darnold their No. 2 QB, NFL Network reports. That leaves QB Trey Lance as the No. 3 -- and his future with the team in limbo. We'll see if Lance is still on the 49ers' roster come Week 1, but he's obviously not worth a roster spot in any redraft leagues.

ESPN's Adam Schefter believes Sam Darnold will head to training camp as the favorite for the 49ers' No. 2 QB job. With a healthy QB Brock Purdy the favorite to start, that'd leave QB Trey Lance third on the depth chart. Schefter adds that he doesn't expect Lance to be traded because "there was never a lot of interest." The massive fall continues for Lance, who was the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. He's certainly worth keeping stashed on dynasty rosters, but it's getting tougher to spend a pick on Lance at any point of best-ball drafts.

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