Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or C.J. Stroud

Tuesday, November 4, 9:39 AM

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota is expected to be the Commanders' starting QB for the next several weeks following the elbow injury suffered by Jayden Daniels on Sunday night. Daniels is without a timetable to return, but could still be back this season. He'll be sidelined for a while, though, which will allow Mariota to return to the starting role in Washington. He has started three games this season, most recently against the Chiefs in Week 8. He threw for 213 yards and a touchdown in that game and added 28 yards on eight carries. He also threw an interception, though, and has four picks to go with his four passing scores on the season. He does bring some rushing potential with at least 20 rushing yards each game, but he doesn't offer nearly the ceiling as a dynamic playmaker that Daniels brings. If you need QB help from the waiver wire in two-quarterback leagues, Mariota can be an option, but the veteran backup has a tough matchup against the Lions this week before a more favorable Week 11 matchup against the Dolphins going into the team's Week 12 bye.

Monday, November 3, 12:56 PM

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said on Monday that quarterback C.J. Stroud (concussion) is in the league's "concussion protocol," and the team will continue to evaluate him more throughout the week, per DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN. Stroud suffered a concussion in the first half of Sunday's Week 9 loss to the visiting Denver Broncos and was unable to return. The 24-year-old finished 6-for-10 passing for 79 yards while adding 12 rushing yards on two carries. Davis Mills took over under center and was unable to lead the team to a touchdown in the three-point loss. Stroud will now hope he can clear the NFL's concussion protocol to play on Sunday versus the division-rival Jacksonville Jaguars. In his third year in the league, he hasn't been much more than a high-end QB2 for fantasy managers, throwing for 1,702 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions on 242 pass attempts over eight games.