Sit Sam Darnold in Week 8 if you have a real alternative — 8.4 projected points lands 8.6 under the QB starter line.
- Projection
- 8.4 pts
- QB rank
- #27
- Matchup
- vs CHI
Sam Darnold's fantasy role in Week 8
Sam Darnold goes into Week 8 of the 2026 season as a deep-league QB flyer for the SEA. He is rostered in 31% of leagues and actually started in 10% of them, and we rank him QB27 on our own weekly board at 8.4 projected points.
Roster rates are steady week over week, so his role looks settled rather than in flux.
No injury designation to work around right now, which keeps his projection honest.
Week 8 matchup breakdown
The matchup: vs CHI. Our Pepper Meter heat rating for this spot is 1 out of 5, which is how we grade the combination of role, projection and opponent difficulty.
Against a typical starting QB baseline of 17 points, his 8.4-point projection is 8.6 points short. That gap is the whole start/sit argument in one number.
How to play it
Sit Sam Darnold in Week 8 if you have a real alternative — 8.4 projected points lands 8.6 under the QB starter line.
If you are deciding between him and another QB, compare projections first, then lean on the Pepper Meter heat rating as the tiebreaker.
Sally's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Sam Darnold (SEA QB), our QB27 this week for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season vs CHI, projecting 8.4 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Sally wants fireworks, and 8.6 points below a typical starter isn't fireworks. Nothing in the projection defends him — 51% below positional par is a bench line for me. The vs CHI draw matters here — home snaps against CHI shape how often he's asked to do something. Mild on the Pepper Meter is generous, honestly.
Tina's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Sam Darnold (SEA QB), our QB27 this week for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season vs CHI, projecting 8.4 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Tina calls it a floor problem: 8.6 points under the starter line is a lot of risk for a lineup spot. The projection sits about 51% under what a startable QB returns, so I honestly can't pretend the price tag matches the output. At home against CHI, I expect the game to stay competitive enough that his usage holds. Mild on the Pepper Meter is generous, honestly.