Sam Darnold 2021 Outlook: He's Just Getting Warmed Up
3 years agoThrow Sam Darnold's entire career with the New York Jets out the window. They did nothing to support him or put talent around him, and Adam Gase's offense has been and always will be a sieve for fantasy production. The best wide receivers that Darnold ever played with were Jamison Crowder and Robby Anderson, and the best running back he ever had behind him was Le'Veon Bell, but not really, since Bell has been a shell of himself since leaving Pittsburgh. In fact, Darnold's leading rusher has never had more than six rushing touchdowns. Bell had three in 2019. Darnold has a chance to rejuvenate his career and he could not be in a better position to do so. He has D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson as his primary wide receivers, and talented rookie Terrace Marshall should be a nice red-zone target for him. He also has the most talented running back he has ever played with, some guy by the name of Christian McCaffrey. His offensive line is the best one he will have had to date, and his offensive coordinator Joe Brady is the next up-and-coming superstar play-caller in the NFL. Brady is responsible for transforming Joe Burrow from a mediocre NFL prospect to the number one overall pick and the greatest QB season in NCAA history. You also might not recognize that Darnold is younger than Burrow, so his career could also just be getting started. Darnold is an accurate passer with the ability to extend plays with his legs and make plays down-field, and I am looking forward to seeing what the post-Gase era has in store for him. He is currently going as the QB28 so you probably don't even have to draft him in redraft leagues, but he is certainly a name to watch. I would stream him in Week 1 against the Jets where he probably goes off for 350 yards and four touchdowns.