Should I Add Sam Darnold For Fantasy Football Week 12? Waiver Wire Outlook

Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold has yet to play this season. The former USC star suffered a high-ankle sprain in the preseason. He got placed on injured reserve before the start of the regular season.

While he’s been part of the 53-man roster the past few weeks, Darnold has served as a backup behind PJ Walker and Baker Mayfield. However, Walker has an ankle injury and missed last week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Meanwhile, Mayfield struggled last week filling in for Walker. The former first-overall pick had only 196 passing yards and two interceptions in the loss.

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Should I Add Sam Darnold For Fantasy Football Week 12?

Earlier this week, interim head coach Steve Wilks announced that Darnold would start the Week 12 matchup against the Denver Broncos.

The former third-overall pick hasn’t played this year. However, Darnold's numbers from last year were awful. He averaged 210.6 passing yards, 0.8 passing touchdowns, 1.1 interceptions, and only 13.1 fantasy points per game in 12 games.

What Other Quarterbacks Should I Target Off The Waiver Wire?

Fantasy players in need of a quarterback this week should avoid Darnold. Not only is the former USC quarterback making his first start of the year, but the matchup is awful for fantasy players.

The Broncos have held quarterbacks to only 11.1 fantasy points per game this season, the second-fewest in the NFL. Furthermore, Denver has surrendered only eight passing touchdowns this year, the fewest in the league.

Instead, fantasy players should start Jacoby Brissett. The Cleveland Browns quarterback is available in over 85% of ESPN leagues. Last week the veteran quarterback had his best performance of the season, scoring 25.9 fantasy points. Furthermore, he had three passing touchdowns in the game, including two to Amari Cooper.

More importantly, Brissett has an appealing matchup in Week 12. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have surrendered two or more passing touchdowns in seven of their past eight games.

Meanwhile, the veteran quarterback has five passing touchdowns over the past three weeks. Fantasy players in need of a streaming option this week should consider Brissett.

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