Lamar Jackson or Sam Darnold: Week 16 Start/Sit Advice and Fantasy Projection

Lamar Jackson and Sam Darnold enter Week 16 of the 2024 fantasy football season ranked among the top 10 overall quarterbacks this year. They have proven to provide plenty of weekly value, but it's fair to wonder which one is a better starter in fantasy lineups this week. Here's how it breaks down.

Is Lamar Jackson a good fantasy pick in Week 16?

Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson is having another excellent fantasy football season as he currently ranks as the overall QB1 this year. Even more impressive is that in his 14 games this season, he has finished among the top 12 weekly quarterbacks in 13 of them, giving him one of the safest floors of any player.

The only potential issue for Jackson this week is that his one bad fantasy game this season came in the first meeting between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. He recorded a disappointing QB23 finish in that game, so he will be looking for a better result in their rematch this week.

Is Sam Darnold a good fantasy pick in Week 16?

Sam Darnold

Sam Darnold has been one of the most surprising breakout players of the 2024 fantasy football season. He joined the Minnesota Vikings this year and was unlikely to be their starter, but he has responded by currently ranking as the overall QB9 so far.

He has finished among the top 10 weekly quarterbacks seven times this season, with four of those coming across his past seven games. This gives him plenty of momentum entering a matchup against the Seattle Seahawks' defense that was just torched by the Green Bay Packers last week. His favorable situation and strong results make him an attractive lineup target.

Lamar Jackson or Sam Darnold: Who should I start in Week 16 fantasy football?

Sportskeeda's Who Should I Start tool

Lamar Jackson is the recommended quarterback to use in Week 16 fantasy football lineups over Sam Darnold. Both quarterbacks make excellent options this week, but Jackson's dominant season so far is enough to make him the preferred pick, despite his disappointing peroformance in his first meeting with the same opponent.

Sportskeeda's Who Should I Start tool predicts that Jackson will score about three additional fantasy points than Darnold this week. His projected rushing contributions are one of the biggest reasons why as he expected to record nearly triple the yardage in the ground game.