Drake Maye Cruises to Early 7-0 Lead as Darnold Exits With Hip Injury
Maye opened 7-of-8 for 44 yards and a rookie TD toss, while Seattle's Sam Darnold left the opener with a hip injury and Drew Lock took over.
Hip injury and questionable tag make him unstartable until we know more.
- Maye 7-of-8 for 44 yards early, plus 20 rush yards
- Rookie TE Eli Rairdon caught first career pass for 2-yd TD
- AJ Brown: 2 catches, 12 yards in Patriots debut
- Darnold questionable to return with hip injury
- Maye finished 2025 as our QB3 with 354 PPR pts
New England grabbed an early 7-0 lead on a 2-yard Drake Maye touchdown pass to rookie tight end Eli Rairdon, capping a 10-play, 77-yard drive that ate 5:37 off the clock in the second quarter. Maye looked exactly like the QB our model ranked #3 at the position, opening the game 7-of-8 for 44 yards and adding 20 rushing yards on four carries.
The bigger fantasy story broke on the other sideline. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is questionable to return after suffering a hip injury at the tail end of Seattle's first possession, with backup Drew Lock entering the game. Darnold finished 2025 as our QB13 with 269 PPR points, so any absence has ripple effects for a lot of rosters.
The Patriots score came together in classic new-toy fashion. AJ Brown, making his New England debut, drew a pass interference flag on cornerback Josh Jobe on the play before the touchdown, springing the offense into scoring range on a flea flicker that Maye underthrew. Brown himself has been quiet on the stat sheet so far — two catches for 12 yards — but the gravity is already showing up in the margins.
The Maye Case
Maye is coming off a monster 2025 campaign: 4,394 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and just 8 interceptions, plus 450 rushing yards and four scores on the ground. That production made him our QB3 (354 PPR points), and his last five games of 2025 ran +1.7 fantasy points above his season average. This clean, efficient opening drive is a continuation, not a fluke.
The Seattle Fallout
Lock is the immediate concern for Darnold managers. His 2025 sample was tiny — five games, 15 passing yards, zero touchdowns, zero fantasy points — so there's no floor to lean on if Darnold's day is done. Anyone rostering Darnold needs a Plan B ready before kickoff of their next matchup.
Fantasy managers: keep Maye locked into your lineup every week — the QB3 form is real and the AJ Brown addition only raises his ceiling. On the Seattle side, sit Darnold until his hip status clears, and don't bother speculating on Lock unless Darnold is officially ruled out for multiple weeks. This is a WATCH-the-wire situation for Seahawks passing-game shares, not a buy.
