Sam Darnold & Jaxon Smith-Ngigba Fantasy Football Stocks Bouyed by Latest Injury Update

The Seattle Seahawks got about as good of an update as they could have hoped for on quarterback Sam Darnold today. After an MRI on the hip he injured in the season opener, he is expected to miss some time, but it's not expected to be a season-ender or something that's going to cost him too much time. It's still unclear if the team is going to opt to place him on injured reserve, designated to return.

While Darnold isn't exactly a fantasy football staple in most lineups, he is significantly better than Drew Lock, and despite it working out in Week 1, he is a huge upgrade for their fantasy pass-catchers, most notably wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

We hope he can get back on the field within three weeks so that he doesn't have to do a stint on IR. However, we will have to continue to wait for an official diagnosis.

Fantasy Impact

QB Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks

If you are relying on Darnold this season, odds are that you are in a Superflex league. He is not a viable option in single-QB formats unless you are in a 16-team league and he has a great matchup.

You should be looking elsewhere if you need a replacement for the duration of his absence. We would not suggest replacing him with his backup, Drew Lock. Despite him playing well enough in relief on Darnold last night, we have seen enough of him to know that he's not a player you want in your lineup. Especially because he's prone to mistakes, which gives him an extremely low floor. You don't want to stream a quarterback who is more likely to lose you your week than win it.

As we mentioned earlier, if he's placed on IR before next weekend, odds are the team expects him back within three weeks. If he is placed on IR, you should consider him out indefinitely, and it's probably safe to cut him unless you have an open IR slot.

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

While he did have success with Lock last night, and he'd probably be fine with any quarterback, this is good news for JSN. His production would be lower with Lock than it would be with Darnold. Nevertheless, you are still starting JSN without hesitation with Lock under center. This should apply to everyone in the Seahawks' offense. So this should be viewed as great news.

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