Darnold (hip) questionable to return vs. Patriots

Darnold was slammed into the ground while being sacked on Seattle’s opening drive. He immediately went into the blue medical tent and was eventually listed as questionable to return. Seattle ruled him out just before the end of the first half. Drew Lock will stay under center for the remainder of the game. After putting up zero points during the first half, the fantasy outlook of every relevant Seattle pass-catcher will take a massive hit if this hip injury keeps Darnold on the sidelines beyond Week 1.

Per Fowler, Seahawks tight ends are “going to be moving all around” the formation this season. Whether Darnold targets TEs AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo more often remains to be seen, but we can take this as a net positive for the offense overall. Shifts and motion give the defense an extra item to monitor. Motion added 0.25 yards per play to the NFL average last year. The 49ers averaged the fourth-highest shifts and motion rate (74.3 percent) in the 2025 regular season, while Fleury served as their run game coordinator and tight ends coach. The Seahawks’ 67.4 percent rate ranked 12th. Fleury will call plays offensively for the first time in his career, and former OC Klint Kubiak will not be easy to replace. This is an encouraging report for the Seahawks’ fantasy-scoring prospects, though.

Shaheed reportedly had “major” performances throughout spring practices, hitting it off with QB Sam Darnold. Per Fowler, the Seahawks will continue to use WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba on PPR-friendly short and intermediate routes that helped him finish as the overall WR2 in total PPR scoring. But, rather than keeping Shaheed stuck in a field-stretching role, they plan to direct more short-to-intermediate stuff to Shaheed as well. Shaheed still has to go out and score more points this season, but this is the exact type of role change he needs to elevate above a frustratingly volatile fantasy profile.

It’s a Super Bowl rematch for the two teams, who will get the new league year started on Wednesday, September 9th on NBC, the preferred broadcasting network for football watchers. Sam Darnold and the Seahawks will look to get the season started on a strong note against the Patriots and Drake Maye, who looked wildly out-matched the last time these two teams met. It’s one of two games the Seahawks will play on NBC this season, as they will also take on the Chiefs in Week 7 on Sunday Night Football.

The Seahawks will reportedly begin their title defense at home with a rematch against the Patriots. Seattle won the Super Bowl matchup handily, cruising to a 29-13 victory to hoist the Lombardi trophy. The teams will look mostly the same, with some key differences. The Pats won’t have 2025 leading wide receiver Stefon Diggs, while Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker left the Seahawks for the Chiefs. Still, the NFL is starting strong with an immediate Super Bowl rematch.

It wasn’t always the prettiest performance, but Darnold stood tall in the face of pressure — both defensive and otherwise — and avoided turnovers while taking only one sack. He could never hit on one of his patented deep completions, but did more than enough as the Seahawks’ defense absolutely smothered the Patriots’ offense to claim the second Super Bowl title in franchise history. As for the regular season, Darnold completed his multi-season comeback story, shaking off his “big game” collapse from 2024-25 to set a new career high in completion percentage (67.7) while keeping his touchdown percentage above 5.0. He finished top five in completion rate over expected, and was amongst the league leaders in average depth of target. That’s the long way of saying he paired efficiency with explosive plays, the latter of which were nearly all directed Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s way. Still on the right side of 30 and signed for the next two seasons in Seattle, Darnold should remain a priority streamer in fantasy. Despite his career revival and sterling “real life” play, Darnold’s volume is limited just enough to keep him outside the top 12 in offseason ranks.

Up until Thursday, Darnold had been a limited practice participant since injuring his oblique during the Seahawks’ final Divisional Round practice. As of Friday evening, he has two full sessions under his belt. Last time we saw Darnold on the field, he threw for a season-high 346 yards and three touchdowns. He is good to go for Sunday’s game.

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