Gauging the fantasy value of Sam Darnold in 2018

Fantasy football owners would be wise to stay away from rookie quarterback Sam Darnold of the New York Jets in 2018.

When it comes to fantasy football, it never ends even when the Super Bowl is officially in the books. From the NFL Draft to training camp, fantasy football owners are always researching players, especially young quarterbacks entering their rookie seasons to see if they’re worth acquiring or even starting. For quarterback Sam Darnold and the New York Jets, it’s a situation that is best left alone in the grand scheme of things.

While Darnold brings hope to a franchise that has been starving to finally have an above average quarterback under center, his transition to the pros won’t be an easy one. From fixing his turnover issues to overall timing and rhythm of plays, Darnold will likely need some time to adjust to life in the NFL. Plus it should also go mentioning that the Jets still have a bad offensive line and no elite weapons on offense. They didn’t even have a single receiving option get over 1,000 yards on offense or even score double digits in touchdowns.

From a new offensive playbook to getting used to the teammates around him, fantasy football owners would be wise to stay away from Darnold this upcoming season. Ideally, he will likely earn a backup role with the Jets behind veteran quarterback Josh McCown.

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The Jets have already deemed McCown as their starter heading into training camp and while others around him will compete for the starting job, the majority are playing for a final roster spot. On the roster bubble this offseason are quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater and Christian Hackenberg. Darnold is likely to do well in training camp but not enough to dethrone McCown to start the regular season for the Jets.

Darnold will not be rushed by the Jets but they won’t limit him either but fantasy owners shouldn’t expect him to play lights out football right from the start. Everything is a process when it comes to developing, coaching, training, and mentoring a young quarterback towards success. Darnold has a lot of work ahead of him in order to take the next step and be an effective starting quarterback.

Patience will be needed for Darnold but he has the skill-set to be a very good quarterback down the road. It just won’t be in 2018 as fantasy owners should stay away from Darnold completely. Remember, the Jets won’t have a powerhouse offense for him to thrive in this upcoming season.