Sam Darnold vs. Drake Maye: Super Bowl Fantasy Football QB Analysis

It's never easy to create a DFS fantasy team when using just two teams. Fantasy participants feel the struggle on Thursday and Monday nights, but now that we are to the biggest game of the year, more people are getting involved, meaning those with less experience are also feeling the struggle.

That's a pretty daunting task: play your first DFS contest of the year at the biggest time and against the most other competitors. We also have two weeks to prepare, which seems like it should be helpful, but it likely causes as much overanalyzing and unnecessary tinkering as it does useful epiphanies.

Quarterback is one of the easiest positions to fill during the fantasy football season because they score more fantasy points than anyone else, particularly in standard scoring. When we are down to just two players, the advantage of having more guys who score more points is gone.

Let's look at the two starting QBs in Sunday's big game and which guy is a better option for your DFS lineup. It's as simple as a straight head-to-head comparison, so we'll look at both guys individually then determine the better pick. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Use FantasySP's weekly projections to find the players expected to excel and help make your toughest lineup decisions!

Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks

I was part of the large group who thought that Darnold would regress after leaving Minnesota; he had been mostly below average his whole career before joining a top-line offensive coach and superstar receiver, so it made sense that he would struggle again when leaving those surroundings.

Well, Darnold made fools of us all, improving both his completion percentage and yards per attempt from last year's career highs (when throwing at least 150 passes). His yardage and touchdown totals went down, but Darnold was a more efficient player for most of 2025.

Darnold finished as fantasy QB13 while playing all 17 games. That's fine. He doesn't run, which limits his fantasy impact compared to some others, but Darnold's 4,048 passing yards were fifth most and his 25 touchdowns tied for ninth.

New England offers a tough test, having allowed the 10th-fewest yards per pass attempt and the 12th-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. There are mitigating circumstances to some of their playoff success (Chargers' inept offensive line, the winter weather in Denver, C.J. Stroud deciding he preferred New England winning), but the Pats have fantastic numbers in the playoffs, allowing 168 passing yards per game with two touchdowns and five interceptions.

The entire season for the Patriots has been written off as luck and good fortune, but those things are true for every team that makes the Super Bowl, including the Seahawks. It is true that New England has been fortunate on their way to the big game, but they have a very good defense and a real chance to walk away as champions.

Drake Maye, New England Patriots

Maye finished as QB2 in fantasy behind only Josh Allen, averaging 258.5 passing yards and 26.5 rushing yards per game with 31 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions, and four rushing scores.

There are very few holes to punch in his resume, and that includes a good postseason against three of the best defensive teams in the league in the Chargers, Texans, and Broncos. Maye was highly efficient against LA and threw three touchdowns against Houston before struggling mightily in the winter weather of Denver.

And his toughest test might still be waiting. The Seahawks allowed the fewest yards per pass attempt this season, though they were closer to the middle in fantasy points given up to QBs. They allowed 212.9 passing yards per game during the regular season with 20 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

A big part of Maye's fantasy value is tied to running the ball, but Seattle does good work stopping the QB run, allowing fewer than 20 rushing yards per game to the position with just three TDs. There won't be any easy avenues toward production and fantasy points in this game for the New England passer.

FantasySP Who Should I Start?

We have a start/sit tool here at FantasySP that compares players and helps you determine who to start in a given week. Any guess as to who the machine favors?

It shouldn't be a surprise that Maye is the preferred fantasy option with all else being equal. Though Seattle's defense is probably better than New England's, the Patriots have a stout unit of their own, and Maye is the far superior fantasy player to Darnold.

The only question is whether he will be able to do much against the Seahawks. Maye has run for 141 yards and a touchdown in his three playoff games, twice topping 60 yards, and he is likely to do more with his legs in this one, immediately giving him a significant advantage over Darnold. While the Seattle QB might do better as a passer, Maye is much better as a runner, something that is rewarded more in fantasy football.

Start Drake Maye in Fantasy Football

I must concur with our Who Should I Start? tool and favor Maye as the superior fantasy option this week. Price in DFS contests is the only thing that could push things Darnold's way, but the two quarterbacks are very close on every platform that I have seen, with Maye only costing a few hundred dollars more.

There is no question or controversy in this one; Maye has the tougher matchup, but he is also the better fantasy option on Super Bowl Sunday.