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Sam Darnold 2026 Fantasy Football Outlook: Now a Super Bowl Champion, Darnold Looks to Clean Up His Mistakes
The Seattle Seahawks took a chance on Sam Darnold after the Minnesota Vikings told him "no thanks" after 36 total touchdowns in 2024. That decision was one of the biggest reasons Seattle hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in February, as Sam Darnold played an entire postseason without a turnover and led his team to a massive win over the New England Patriots for the title. However, in the regular season, Darnold had 20 total turnovers and threw 10 fewer touchdowns than his excellent 2024 season. He will look to clean that up as the offense is likely to skew more pass-friendly with the departure of Kenneth Walker III and the emergence of Jaxson Smith-Njigba. Last season, Darnold threw for the highest yards per attempt of his career (8.5 yards), so what he might sacrifice in yards will likely be gained back with better efficiency and fewer touchdowns. Darnold is currently being drafted as the QB22 overall, but there is a strong case to be made that Darnold could creep into the top-12 before 2026 is over.
