Fantasy Football Sleepers by Position: QB, RB, WR & TE Picks

Darnold finally lived up to what was expected when he was drafted third overall in 2018. He set career highs across the board last season, including 35 TD passes, fifth in the league, as he finished QB9 in fantasy. Darnold’s completion percentage ranked only 16th, but that’s partly because his average target depth was 8.9 yards, fifth highest. In fact, of the 11 QBs whose aDOT topped 8.5 yards, Darnold’s 66.2 completion percentage was higher than all but Lamar Jackson's (66.7 percent). Darnold was excellent throwing deep, leading the league with a 46.7 completion percentage and nine TDs on attempts of 20-plus yards. He had an 18:2 TD:INT in Weeks 11-17, but the Vikings soured when he failed to throw a TD with the NFC North on the line Week 18 and then took nine sacks in the wild-card round. Minnesota let him leave this offseason, opting against a franchise tag and declining to make a competitive offer. Darnold quickly signed a three-year, $100.5 million contract with Seattle, where his struggles under pressure -- 31st in on-target rate under pressure (42.0 percent) -- might be a problem behind a weak offensive line. Seattle’s only OL upgrade was 18th overall pick LG Grey Zabel. Another problem will be life without Justin Jefferson. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the No. 1 target after a 2024 breakout, but he caught just 15 passes when lined up out wide, where he figures to spend more time after the Seahawks traded DK Metcalf and signed Cooper Kupp. New OC Klint Kubiak worked with Darnold in San Francisco in 2023 and figures to create a better gameplan than what Geno Smith dealt with last year, but the overall situation still looks much worse than what Darnold had in Minnesota last year.

The first pick in the 2025 draft, Ward is expected to start Week 1 for the Titans. His arm strength is already on par with the best in the league, allowing him to throw with good velocity from a variety of arm slots to make plays all over the field. Ward is more of a pocket passer than a true dual threat, but he's mobile enough to scramble around and make something out of nothing. That sometimes leads to running into sacks, one of the few criticisms from scouts. He's 6-foot-2, 219, with a quick release and plenty of experience -- he set the NCAA record with 158 career TD passes, including 39 last season. The Titans brought back last year's coaching staff but remade their offensive line in free agency, signing right guard Kevin Zeitler and left tackle Dan Moore. Although Moore is a better run blocker than pass blocker, his arrival allows 2024 first-round pick JC Latham to move back to right tackle, where he played exclusively in college. Calvin Ridley is a legitimate threat downfield, coming off consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, but the Titans don't have much else to threaten defenses. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine left for Miami in the offseason; 2022 first-round bust Treylon Burks is coming back from an ACL tear; free-agent additions Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson haven't done much in recent years; and TE Chig Okonkwo has never topped 528 yards or three TDs in a season. The Titans drafted two WRs in the fourth round, Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor, but their skill-position personnel still look subpar overall. Even if Ward plays reasonably well, he probably won't add enough rushing stats to push for QB1 fantasy status until he gets more help.