Who Should I Start? Nick Mullens or Sam Darnold

Monday, January 8, 1:35 PM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens put on a show in the Week 18 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday by going 30-for-44 for 396 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked four times for a loss of 37 yards and ran twice for eight yards. Mullens ended up being Minnesota's best option under center down the stretch after Kirk Cousins suffered a torn Achilles, and the 28-year-old QB finished with a 67.57% completion percentage, 1,306 passing yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions in five appearances (three starts). He had 300 yards and multiple touchdowns in all three of his starts, although turnovers were clearly an issue. With Cousins' future in doubt in Minnesota, Mullens' late-season performance could at least put him in consideration for the starting job in 2024 if the Vikes move on from Cousins this offseason.

Wednesday, May 8, 11:20 PM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold could be named the team's Week 1 starter over first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. As Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com writes, "It's only a matter of time before McCarthy becomes the Vikings' starting quarterback [...] but it is not likely to happen as quickly as some fans might hope, and if anything, the Vikings are poised to err on the side of methodical caution." Such a scenario could see Minnesota let Darnold, whom they signed this past offseason when Kirk Cousins left for Atlanta, start a few games before transitioning to McCarthy. Darnold has struggled to support major fantasy production from his playmakers at previous stops, including the Jets and Panthers, so fantasy managers might want to temper expectations with players like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson to start the year. Darnold himself falls to the low-end QB3 tier in fantasy football drafts.