In a dynasty league, who are you better served to have as your quarterback: Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers or Sam Darnold of the New York Jets?
It is a question we never thought we’d be asking in fantasy football circles, but here we are. If you are in a dynasty league, who is the better quarterback to have long-term: Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers or Sam Darnold of the New York Jets? It should be a no-brainer decision, but the more you think about it, the harder it is to sort out.
The Fantasy Footballers initially scoffed at the question on the extended mailbag segment of their latest episode. It has to be Rodgers, right? Andy Holloway emphatically was on the Packers’ star quarterback’s side from the jump. Jason Moore considers Darnold a solid option beyond these next few years. Rodgers’ may only have a few more good years left.
Check out The Fantasy Footballers for all their advice
Mike Wright pointed out that if you started Rodgers as your QB1 every week last year, you probably didn’t win in fantasy as regularly as you would have with him leading the way in years past. Rodgers is in his mid-to-late 30s. While he is a sure-fire, no-doubt, first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer, how many more great seasons does he have in the tank at this point of his career?
In short, taking Darnold in a dynasty league means you are willing to buy low on a guy entering year three out of USC. No, the Jets haven’t been a competent NFL franchise for the better part of a decade. However, he might pop in his second year with Adam Gase as his head coach. New York is a significantly more chaotic organization than Green Bay, but at least Darnold has time on his side.
We expect Darnold to play a full season next year, as he’s not coming down with mononucleosis again. Wright listed off Rodgers’ numbers from last season: 4,000 passing yards and 26 touchdowns. That’s a good number for most quarterbacks, but not for a guy of Rodgers’ stature. He can be a valuable player for you, but his days of being the best quarterback in football are over.
Overall, the pick for a dynasty league at this juncture is still clearly Rodgers. He will remain a better player than Darnold for at least the next two seasons. However, if you are really willing to play the long game and have undying loyalty to all things Gang Green, perhaps buying low on a player like Darnold isn’t a bad thing? He was drafted No. 3 overall in 2018 out of USC for a reason.