NFL Fantasy Football: Sam Darnold's fantasy outlook after being benched in loss vs Giants

The Carolina Panthers decided to bench quarterback Sam Darnold in the fourth quarter of their blowout loss to the New York Giants. PJ Walker took over for Sam Darnold just a few minutes into the fourth quarter with the Panthers down 15-3.

The New York Giants eventually won 25-3 primarily due to six sacks, an interception from the defense and a solid performance from the offense.

Before being benched, Sam Darnold was 16/25 for 111 yards and an interception. His fantasy football score at the end of the game was -.06 points. The quarterback, who started off the season with four straight games with at least 18 fantasy football points, ended with negative points. It also happened against a defense ranked poorly against the pass.

Head coach Matt Rhule has stated Sam Darnold remains the starter going forward, but should Darnold be a starter in fantasy football? His next matchups include the Atlanta Falcons (14th against the pass), New England Patriots (16th), Arizona Cardinals (6th) and Washington (32nd).

When it comes to fantasy football, the win doesn't matter as much as the stats. However, Carolina's weak schedule has helped turn Sam Darnold into a streaming QB1 early in the season. The four teams the Panthers faced in their first four games are currently ranked in the bottom half of the league against the pass.

Fantasy football owners took advantage of the matchups for several weeks but are now facing reality. Darnold is a good, not great, or consistent quarterback. He will likely be seen as a low-end QB2 if someone needs a quarterback from their bench with their starters on a bye.

Christian McCaffrey can come off IR for Week 9 and negatively affect Sam Darnold's fantasy football value. When most teams are playing from behind, they pass the ball, but Carolina looks towards McCaffrey.

McCaffrey's absence has allowed Darnold and the passing game to take control, but it has been a struggle for three straight weeks now. Sam Darnold had under six fantasy football points against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 (177 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, ten rushing yards) and 11 fantasy football points against the Minnesota Vikings last week (207 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 48 rushing yards).

His stock has been trending downwards for three weeks and there is no chance of shooting upwards again anytime soon. So what is the final verdict if you have Sam Darnold in your fantasy football lineup?

The best option is to let him fall to your bench if you have the space for him. There's a chance he will be able to work with Matt Rhule to turn around their offense, but don't bank your season on him in standard fantasy football leagues.

Darnold is still young enough to turn his career around for the better and is worth stashing in a keeper league. But he will have to regain some confidence on the field over the next few weeks, which could result in poor showings in fantasy football.