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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 went wild against the Atlanta Falcons supporting both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison to top-five fantasy performances. The Falcons pass defense has struggled throughout the season and Darnold took full advantage completing 22 of 28 passes.

The Vikings and QB Sam Darnold have not had any discussions about a long-term contract, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Darnold is scheduled to hit free agency in March. He's had a nice season for Minnesota, but the team spent the 10th overall pick of this year's draft on QB J.J. McCarthy, who's the favorite to start next season.

Vikings QB Sam Darnold struggled for most of Sunday's win over the Cardinals but saved his fantasy line (and the victory) with a pair of TD passes late. Darnold hit TE Johnny Mundt from 4 yards out for a score near the end of the third quarter. He found RB Aaron Jones for a 5-yard TD late in the fourth to take the lead for good. Darnold finished the game with 235 yards, 2 TDs, 5 sacks taken but no turnovers.

The Vikings have signed QB Daniel Jones to their practice squad, per multiple reports. Jones recently cleared waivers, as expected, and reportedly wanted to sign with a contending team. That’s certainly the case with the 9-2 Vikings. Eventually, Jones should slide into the backup role behind Sam Darnold. But the former Giant remains a shaky bet to start come Week 1 of 2025. The Vikings just invested a Round 1 pick in Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy.

Vikings WR Jordan Addison caught eight of nine targets for 162 yards and a TD while Justin Jefferson only caught two of five targets for 27 yards. Addison was the favored target for QB Sam Darnold who threw for 330 yards and two TDs.

Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson is expected to come off the PUP list "this week or shortly thereafter," per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Hockenson tore his right ACL/MCL on December 24.

Vikings QB Sam Darnold (knee) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. It's confirmation that he'll be ready for this weekend's game vs. the Packers. Darnold ranks fifth among QBs in fantasy points and has finished top 14 at the position in all three weeks so far. He sits 12th in the Week 4 QB Rankings.

Vikings QB Sam Darnold underwent an MRI on his knee that revealed no structural damage, according to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer. "He’s sore, but they are optimistic he plays against Green Bay" on Sunday, Glazer adds.

Vikings QB Sam Darnold threw for just 181 yards but racked up 4 TD passes in Sunday's beatdown of the Texans. He connected with four different targets for those scores: WR Justin Jefferson, RB Aaron Jones, WR Jalen Nailor, and TE Johnny Mundt. Darnold hurt his left knee late in the third quarter but left the field for only one snap before returning and finishing out the game. (Nick Mullens kneeled on the game's final play.)

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.

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