Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Marcus Mariota

Thursday, July 10, 1:51 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins said in an episode of the Netflix series "Quarterback" that he felt "a little bit misled" when the Falcons took Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL draft. It came just after Atlanta signed Cousins to a contract worth at least $100 million guaranteed to be their starter in 2024 and beyond. "I had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we loved it there if both teams are going to be drafting a quarterback high," Cousins said. The 36-year-old led the team to a 6-3 start before injuring his right shoulder. After that, the Falcons lost four straight games, with Cousins throwing eight interceptions and no touchdowns in that stretch. He was eventually benched in Week 16 for Penix, who heads into 2025 as the unquestioned starter, with Cousins backing him up. Cousins could get traded during training camp, but for now he's useless in fantasy as a backup.

Wednesday, March 12, 2:18 PM

Veteran free-agent quarterback Marcus Mariota is signing a one-year deal to return to the Washington Commanders, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans spent last season with Washington and primarily backed up Jayden Daniels. Mariota threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns in three games a season ago. While Mariota clearly has no path to the starting job, he will be on the fantasy football radar in deep Superflex or two-QB leagues as a deep bench stash. Should Daniels have to miss any time next season, Mariota would have at least low-end QB2 upside playing with wideouts Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel Sr. along with tight end Zach Ertz in Kliff Kingsbury's offense.