Sam Darnold vs Tua Tagovailoa: Who Should You Start?
Two quarterbacks who will land on plenty of the same rosters in 2026. Sam Darnold (Seattle Seahawks) finished the 2025 season averaging 14.7 fantasy points per game in 17 games. Tua Tagovailoa (Atlanta Falcons) came in at 12.6 PPG over 14 games. The gap is real but not insurmountable with the right matchup.
Sam Darnold carries a 2.1-point PPG advantage from the 2025 season. That baseline matters, but it is one input among several. Matchup difficulty, scoring trends, and injury reports move the needle week to week, which is why the best answer changes depending on when you are asking.
Both lean on arm talent and offensive scheme as traditional pocket passers. Sam Darnold threw for 4048 yards and 25 touchdowns, while Tua Tagovailoa posted 2660 yards and 20 scores. Volume, red zone efficiency, and game script are the key week-to-week differentiators when neither carries rushing upside.
Sam Darnold has his bye in Week 10, and Tua Tagovailoa rests in Week 12. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at quarterback for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
