Sam Darnold reportedly ahead of J.J. McCarthy heading into Vikings' training camp

What It Means

The Vikings have been open about wanting their quarterbacks to compete for the Week 1 starting job, and so far it seems like it has been Sam Darnold pulling ahead of first round pick J.J. McCarthy and incumbent backup Nick Mullens. The team signed the former second-overall pick in free agency this offseason prior to drafting McCarthy.

It's early days yet, but fantasy managers will want to play close attention to this competition over the summer. The team clearly believes in McCarthy, using valuable draft capital to add the National Championship-winning quarterback to their roster, but Darnold has had his supporters in the NFL over the years.

Whoever ends up winning the starting gig come Week 1 could be a fantasy-relevant player, considering how fantasy-friendly the Vikings' offense will be this season. O'Connell's system led to Mullens averaging a whopping 370 passing yards per start as their backup last year, and has an enviable trio of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson as pass-catching options for their quarterbacks this year.