Sam Darnold start or sit: Week 4 fantasy football advice

Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season is upon us and the action will kick off on Thursday night with the Seattle Seahawks visiting the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC West showdown at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video.

The Seahawks were able to improve to 2-1 for the season this past Sunday, steamrolling the winless Saints in a 44-13 blowout victory. Seattle dominated New Orleans in all three phases of the game and that included starting quarterback Sam Darnold having himself a solid afternoon.

Below, we’ll go over Darnold’s outlook in fantasy football for Week 4.

Darnold was effective and efficient in Sunday’s home victory over the Saints, going 14-18 through the air for 218 yards and two touchdowns in the contest. That performance allowed for the veteran to finish as a top-10 fantasy quarterback for the week with 16.7 points and he’s starting to get into a groove with his new team.

Something to note is that Darnold has been one of the most protected starting QB’s in the league so far this season. His 3.85% sack rate is one of the lowest in the NFL and his 54.43% success rate is second only to Daniel Jones among QB’s who have started all three games this season. It’s not rocket science. When he has time in the pocket, he’s able to get the ball to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp to move the chains. That will be the key for the success of the Seahawks’ offense moving forward.

Start. Normally I’d shy away from middle-tier fantasy QB’s on Thursday nights but here, I say go for it. Arizona’s defense has been below average when it comes to applying pressure so far this season and as just mentioned, Darnold has been effective when he has a clean pocket this season. Even if Darnold isn’t on your roster, he’s rostered in just 17.5% of fantasy leagues and is someone to keep on your radar if you need to turn to the waiver wire for QB depth.