Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Brett Rypien

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.

Wednesday, March 13, 4:14 PM

Veteran free-agent quarterback Brett Rypien is signing a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears, according to Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team. The 2019 undrafted free agent has thrown for 950 yards, four touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 10 career games with the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams. He spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets last year but did not appear in a game. The Bears are expected to select Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Justin Fields is rumored to be on the trade block. That said, Rypien has a path to the backup role in 2024. Based on his career so far, he is not anywhere close to the fantasy radar.