Fantasy football analyst bullish on Sam Darnold for Seahawks-Buccaneers shootout

One fantasy football analyst is expecting Darnold to hit a new high in Seattle in Sunday's huge NFC showdown with Tampa.

Sep 25, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) looks on in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Sam Darnold has been throwing the hell out of the ball since joining the Seattle Seahawks. However, because his stat lines aren't necessarily fantasy football friendly he's still flying under the radar to a lot of NFL fans. It may be only a matter of time before he breaks out with a huge game, though.

One analyst at Bleacher Report thinks it might come this week. According to Alex Kay at Bleacher Report, Darnold is a good streaming option for what he expects to be a high-scoring game on Sunday between the Seahawks and Buccaneers.

"Darnold may not be putting up the elite fantasy numbers he did in 2024, but he's starting to gain steam for the surging Seahawks... If you need a streaming option to get through a bye, Darnold is a fine choice. Expect some season-best numbers in what projects to be a high-scoring Week 5 clash with the Buccaneers."

It takes time to really settle in with a totally new receiver corps, and as yet Darnold has only really found a consistent rhythm with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who ranks second in the NFL in receiving yards going into Week 5.

Last season with the Minnesota Vikings Darnold didn't have a big fantasy game until Week 3, and he wasn't consistently producing strong fantasy numbers until Week 10.

Hopefully Darnold will start putting up big stats before then, but either way he should only get better with time. He also has a pretty favorable matchup this week. The Bucaneers currently rank 25th in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks.

NFL — Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws a pass against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sept. 25, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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