Fantasy Football Injury Impact: Seahawks Rule Out Sam Darnold, Bringing Volatility To Jaxon Smith-Njigba In Week 2

The Seattle Seahawks have ruled out starting quarterback Sam Darnold for Week 2 due to a glute injury. However, there is a silver lining because the team has stood firm in its decision that they have no intention of placing him on injured reserve. If Darnold were to land on IR, he would be forced to miss at least four games.

Seahawks ruled out Sam Darnold for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals due to his glute injury, per head coach Mike MacDonald

Seattle currently has no plans to place Darnold on IR. pic.twitter.com/MCfZf3PCUC
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 16, 2026

Drew Lock is in line to get the start in Week 2, with Jalen Milroe expected to serve as the backup. Lock is a significant downgrade from Darnold and will bring fantasy football volatility to the Seahawks offense.

Fantasy Impact

QB Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks

We haven't gotten any specifics about this injury, at least none that give Darnold any kind of definitive timeline to return. Since they do not intend to place him on IR, we would expect that the team believes that he will miss fewer than four games.

However, this also sounds like more than a one-week injury, and the fact that he was ruled out so early does not bode particularly well for his likelihood of returning in Week 3, but we cannot rule out the possibility. Darnold should be viewed as week-to-week by fantasy owners, and this situation should be monitored closely.

QB Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks

Lock should not be viewed as a legitimate fantasy option, even against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. He has been wildly inconsistent, mistake-prone, and inaccurate throughout his career. In Week 1, he played almost the entirety of the game with Darnold only throwing two of the team's 24 pass attempts, and he finished with just 187 passing yards and a touchdown, while completing 16 of 22 pass attempts.

We would suggest leaving him on the waiver wire regardless of matchup until Darnold returns. There will be better options on your waiver wire if you're in need of a desperation streaming option.

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

Lock absolutely brings volatility to JSN regardless of what happened last week. It did work out last week with JSN catching eight of 11 targets for 122 yards and a touchdown. We saw that his upside is still through the roof because of his target share, but his floor also lowers, and he becomes a riskier fantasy option.

With that being said, we are in no way suggesting you bench him. JSN has to be in your starting lineup, but perhaps set your lineup keeping in mind that a down game is now possible. We would also consider going in a different direction in DFS rather than paying a premium price for him.

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