Past Production
| Year | Games | Completion % | Yards | TDs | INTs | Fantasy Finish | Fantasy PPG | PPG Rank |
| 2018 | 13 | 57.7 | 2,865 | 17 | 15 | QB27 | 13.0 | 32nd |
| 2019 | 13 | 61.9 | 3,024 | 19 | 13 | QB27 | 14.1 | 27th |
As you can see, Darnold hasn’t been a usable fantasy quarterback in his first two NFL seasons. The Jets picked Darnold with the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and he immediately won the Week 1 starting job. However, the 2018 Jets lacked receiving weapons, and Darnold couldn’t overcome that obstacle as a rookie. There were a couple of bright spots in Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa, and rookie tight end Chris Herndon, but none of them were star players. The team fired head coach Todd Bowles after a 4-12 season.
Unfortunately, the Jets majorly screwed up by hiring fantasy nightmare Adam Gase as their head coach for the 2019 season. While they improved their nonexistent running game by signing Le’Veon Bell, the Jets still failed to improve their receiving weapons. They did sign slot receiver Jamison Crowder, but they lost both Enunwa and Herndon for most of the 2019 season.
Darnold played one game in 2019 before contracting mononucleosis, which forced him to miss the following three games. Even after Darnold returned, he muddled through three horrific performances in Weeks 6-8, most notably the “ghosts” game against the Patriots. During that span, he threw four touchdowns versus eight interceptions and took 11 sacks, and he was one of the NFL’s worst quarterbacks.
Luckily, Darnold turned it around, starting in Week 9. Over the back half of the season, he averaged 242.5 passing yards/game, and he threw 14 touchdowns compared to only five interceptions. He also improved his mobility, rushing 24 times for 63 yards and two touchdowns and taking only 18 sacks. While Darnold still wasn’t a fantasy star, he was serviceable, and he showed upside despite playing in Gase’s terrible system.
2020 Outlook
Unfortunately for Darnold, the Jets did little to inspire confidence in Darnold from a 2020 perspective. They retained Gase as their head coach, and they also failed to bring in any significant offensive talent. While they did sign Breshad Perriman in free agency and drafted Denzel Mims in the second round, they barely made up for losing Robby Anderson to the Panthers.
Darnold is my QB28 in redraft rankings, so he’s unusable in any 2020 1QB formats. However, he does provide some value in 2020 superflex leagues, as he’s guaranteed to hold a starting quarterback job for the entire season. Therefore, he makes for a nice QB3 on superflex rosters, especially behind two far stronger options.
Dynasty Analysis
In dynasty leagues, I still have significant hope for Darnold. He turned 23 years old in June, and he’s younger than incoming top overall pick Joe Burrow. I believe that he’s the Jets’ long-term starter and will outlast Gase in New York.
I don’t think Darnold offers much of a ceiling due to his lack of upside. Therefore, similar to my 2020 thoughts, I’m far more interested in Darnold in superflex leagues, where having a starting quarterback offers value. Darnold will never be a top-five fantasy quarterback, but he could have 5-10 more years as a solid to decent NFL starter. Therefore, I would recommend floating some trade offers for Darnold while he has a depressed value. If you can acquire Darnold for a single first-round pick, I’d make that trade in a heartbeat.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
