Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Sam Darnold (quad) will not play in Week 9 against the Cardinals.
Per Macdonald, Darnold also suffered a rib injury early in the team’s Week 8 loss to the Bears, though that doesn’t appear to be the reason he’s out this week. Darnold is considered week-to-week. Per Macdonald, he won’t go on injured reserve. It’s possible this quad issue is related to the glute issue that sidelined Darnold earlier in the season. Either way, Darnold’s health concerns are now becoming an issue for a Seahawks team that was already struggling to live up to the hype. Drew Lock will draw the start versus Arizona this week. He’ll likely start in Week 10 as well. With two successful appearances under his belt this year, Lock is a somewhat safe QB2 bet for Superflex managers.
Tuten's availability vs. Ravens on TNF in limbo
Kyle Dvorchak delivers the latest news on Jaguars RB Bhayshul Tuten now that he has not practiced in the days leading up to the team's TNF title vs. the Ravens due to ankle and foot issues.
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Darnold really struggled through consistent pressure from Dennis Allen’s aggressive defensive front as the Seahawks gained just 252 yards of total offense. Things looked manageable in the first half while Darnold leaned heavily on alpha wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, feeding his top option for 92 yards before the break. Allen’s second half adjustments all but removed JSN from the offense, holding him to just 26 yards after the break. Week 8 went down as only the third game of the 2026 season in which Darnold threw multiple touchdowns, leaving him outside QB2 range and on waiver wires ahead of a Week 9 meeting with the Cardinals.
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Darnold continued to flaunt his connection with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with zero regard to the naysayers, feeding his alpha 12 targets on 28 pass attempts, the latter of whom accounted for 150 of the 257 pass yards for Darnold. As you probably guessed, Smith-Njigba was also the recipient of Darnold’s lone touchdown throw, which was a dime down the left sideline on a corner route that the veteran signal caller dropped into the bread basket. The two would connect on another similar play later in the same quarter in which Smith-Njigba was forced out at the two, with the result of that drive Darnold’s interception in the end zone. Darnold continues to do just enough for his team and not enough for fantasy managers that thought they could grab cheap production late in drafts. He’s better sent back to the waiver wire than inserted into starting lineups. The Seahawks next face the Bears on the second half of back-to-back Monday Night Football games, where Darnold remains a shaky fantasy option.
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The Seahawks’ head coach stood by his quarterback today, saying Darnold is “definitely part of the solution” to the offense’s recent struggles. Darnold returned somewhat quickly from a glute tendon strain a couple of weeks ago. One wonders if he is still rounding back into form following the early-season ailment. Backup Drew Lock played well in his stead, but the Seahawks believe their Super Bowl-winning quarterback should keep his job. That makes sense to us. He’s a QB2 next week against the Chiefs.
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The Seahawks struggled to move the football throughout against the tenacious situational play calling from Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, scoring only three points until just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. A late-game surge saw them punch on in and a successful two-point conversion drew the team within three points. They would stop the Broncos on the subsequent possession but an interception in Denver territory put the game in jeopardy. The defense would do their job and force a three-and-out that took only 15 seconds off the clock, giving the ball back to Darnold to lead a two-minute drill to send the game to overtime through a chip shot field goal. Darnold would throw his second interception in overtime, watching from the sideline as the Broncos walked it off with a 53-yard Will Lutz field goal. The loss sends the Seahawks to 3-3, matching the total number of losses from a season ago through only six weeks of the 2026 season. The Seahawks have work to do to make up ground in the NFC West, now 2.5 games behind the undefeated 49ers through the first third of the regular season. Darnold and the Seahawks now have a long week to prepare for the now-undefeated Chiefs at home in Week 7, where Darnold will be a fringe QB2 in fantasy circles.
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It was a rough outing for Darnold, who was picked off on his first pass attempt of the day and absorbed a season-high five sacks. His lone touchdown pass came on a 16-yard pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Darnold completed a short two-yard pass to JSN, who turned it upfield for the score to give the Seahawks the 23-21 lead with just over five minutes left in the third quarter. On the Seahawks’ final drive of the game, Darnold found JSN for a 35-yard completion, but three straight incompletions, including an uncharacteristic drop by JSN, put the Seahawks in a fourth-and-10 situation that they were unable to convert after Cooper Kupp came up a yard short on his second reception of the night. Darnold has now thrown seven touchdowns and six interceptions in his last three games since returning from injury, and now faces a short week to get ready for the Broncos on Thursday night. He profiles as a mid-to-low-end QB2 in what could be a tough road matchup.
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Darnold’s first pass of the game was intercepted on a throw to the flat that should have gone basically anywhere else. He connected on a screen pass with Emanuel Wilson for his first score, and found Tory Horton on a short slant for his second. The 29-year-old wasn’t close to his best, but could enough against the less-than-spectacular Chargers’ defense. He’ll have a marquee matchup in Week 5 against the 49ers.
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It was his first action since leaving in the first series of Week 1 against the Patriots with his hip/glute injury. Darnold’s first interception was a doink off a defensive lineman that landed in the hands of Sonny Styles. The second was an egregious offering that resulted in a pick six. Outside of that, the 29-year-old played relatively well, with two touchdown throws to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and another pair to Cooper Kupp and Eric Saubert. He’ll look to limit the turnovers and find JSN more often in Week 4 against the Chargers at home.
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Darnold upgraded to full participation yesterday, so today’s news tracks. In an interview on the Rich Eisen Show earlier today, Seahawks WR Smith-Njigba basically let slip that Darnold would be back, but Eisen let him out of the situation with only a soft follow-up. Darnold can be started as a borderline QB1/2 against a fantasy-friendly Commanders defense in Week 3.
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Darnold said today that he is “striving” to play in Week 3 against the Commanders. It sounds like his striding is going well, too. The Seahawks’ starting quarterback is now seemingly on track to play on Sunday. Darnold’s strained glute tendon has healed faster than expected. If active, he can be treated as a high-end QB2.
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Darnold was officially listed as a limited practice participant on Wednesday, returning to practice for the first time since his opening day injury. He split first-team reps with Drew Lock and did some throwing off to the side. The Seahawks will make a decision Friday on Darnold’s game status for Week 3 but the 29-year-old has an outside chance of returning against the Commanders.
Rotoworld
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NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that Tanner McKee will not start in Week 9 against the Giants.
Joe Milton will start for the Eagles against the Giants this week. McKee’s time under center lasted three games. Unfortunately, he never once threw for more than 215 yards or threw multiple touchdowns. McKee can be dropped in two-quarterback leagues. Milton is a volatile QB2.
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Drew Lock will start for the Seahawks in Week 9 against the Cardinals.
Sam Darnold is considered week-to-week with a quad injury. Lock himself is only barely healthy, having been relegated to emergency QB3 duties because of an eblow issue for the past two games. He’s clearly close enough to full strength if Mike Macdonald is willing to name him the starter on Wednesday. He did note that Jalen Milroe will also get some reps in practice this week. Lock threw for 422 yards and four touchdowns in a little under two full games earlier in the year. Facing a weak Arizona defense, Lock is in the QB2 mix for Week 9.
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NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that Joe Milton will be the Eagles’ starting quarterback in Week 9 against the Giants.
Milton, 26, has spent time with three different teams since the Patriots drafted him in the 2024 NFL Draft’s sixth round. He is a towering, mobile, cannon-armed quarterback with enticing traits. His erratic play can also be frustrating. Milton can be added in two-quarterback leagues, though his range of potential outcomes in his first start is extremely wide. He replaces Tanner McKee after a three-game starting stint.
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Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Sam Darnold (quad) will not play in Week 9 against the Cardinals.
Per Macdonald, Darnold also suffered a rib injury early in the team’s Week 8 loss to the Bears, though that doesn’t appear to be the reason he’s out this week. Darnold is considered week-to-week. Per Macdonald, he won’t go on injured reserve. It’s possible this quad issue is related to the glute issue that sidelined Darnold earlier in the season. Either way, Darnold’s health concerns are now becoming an issue for a Seahawks team that was already struggling to live up to the hype. Drew Lock will draw the start versus Arizona this week. He’ll likely start in Week 10 as well. With two successful appearances under his belt this year, Lock is a somewhat safe QB2 bet for Superflex managers.
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Packers designated Chris Brooks (ankle) to return from injured reserve.
Brooks is back at practice and could be officially activated from IR ahead of the Packers’ Week 9 matchup with the Patriots. He would likely take Pierre Strong’s spot in the lineup as Green Bay’s RB3.
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Emeka Egbuka (foot) did not practice Wednesday.
Egbuka missed Week 7 with a concussion and a foot injury. He cleared the league’s concussion protocol last week, but the foot issue kept him on ice. A DNP today suggests he will miss another week. However, head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Egbuka worked off to the side today. The team will see how he feels tomorrow. That leaves the door open for him to play, but fantasy managers should at least have backup options in place. If he does suit up, Egbuka would be a high-risk WR3 versus Chicago.
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Liam Coen said Bhayshul Tuten (foot/ankle) will be a game-time decision for Week 9 against the Ravens.
Tuten did not practice on Tuesday. Coen told reporters he would get in a limited session today. Tuten himself told Coen he feels better today and he toughed it out through the injury on Sunday. He appears to be on the right side of questionable for Thursday’s contest, but fantasy managers will want to check inactives before kickoff to be sure. If he can’t go, Chris Rodriguez will get the bulk of the carries for the Jags.
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TreVeyon Henderson (illness) did not practice Wednesday.
It’s rare for a player to miss even one game with an illness. It’s even more unheard of for them to miss the next practice. It’s possible Henderson is dealing with something more severe than the flu or a stomach bug. If he isn’t able to play in Week 9, Rhamondre Stevenson will handle the bulk of the backfield touches once again. He touched the ball 22 times on Sunday and would be in line for a similar workload against the Packers.
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A.J. Brown (knee) did not practice Wednesday.
Brown’s recurring knee issue flared up during practice last week. He was downgraded to a DNP on Thursday and Friday. The Pats then ruled him out over the weekend. Brown has been dealing with this injury for years, and it was something the Pats acknowledged when they traded for him in the offseason. It wouldn’t be surprising for the team to give him multiple weeks off in preparation for a playoff run. Head coach Mike Vrabel sidestepped a question about putting Brown back on injured reserve. At a minimum, we’re not expecting Brown to suit up this week.
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Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Micah Parsons (knee) is a “full go” to do individual work at practice.
That doesn’t mean Parsons is a “full go” for Week 9 against the Patriots, however, as the pass rusher comes back from a season-ending knee injury in 2025. Parsons could return soon for a Green Bay defense that ranks 12th in pressure rate and 16th in quick pressure rate on the season. Look for the team to ease Parsons into action to make sure he’s OK for the final stretch of the regular season.
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