Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Cam Ward

BENCH

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
1.0 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Marcus Mariota News

Marcus Mariota Suffers Sprained MCL, Likely Out for Rest of Preseason

Sunday, August 16, 7:19 AM

Washington Commanders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota (knee) suffered a sprained MCL in the team's preseason opener on Friday against the Miami Dolphins that will likely keep him out for the rest of the preseason, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN. It's unclear at this time if Mariota's knee injury will keep him sidelined going into Week 1 of the 2026 regular season versus the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Sept. 13. Either way, the Commanders might be in the market for a veteran signal-caller to provide more depth behind starter Jayden Daniels. The other QBs on the roster are Sam Hartman and undrafted rookie Athan Kaliakmanis. The 32-year-old Mariota played a big part in the Commanders' offense a year ago with Daniels only playing in seven games due to injury, although he went 2-6 in his eight starts while throwing for 1,695 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in his 11 total games played.

START

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
19.3 10.7 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

Cam Ward News

Up-and-Down Night for Cam Ward in Preseason Opener

Friday, August 14, 6:01 AM

Tennessee Titans second-year quarterback Cam Ward had completions of 18 and 16 yards in an 11-play, 95-yard scoring drive to open Thursday's preseason win over the 49ers. Unfortunately, while playing well into the second quarter, the rest of his night was not without its rough patches. Ward finished the game 5-of-12 for 57 yards and missed more than one open target while also setting the team back with an intentional grounding penalty on the second drive of the game. After a promising finish to his rookie season, the Titans surrounded the 2025 first overall pick with new playmakers in the form of free agent acquisition Wan'Dale Robinson and fourth overall pick Carnell Tate, and while Ward has shown flashes throughout training camp, most reports would indicate that he's still searching for consistency in year one of Brian Daboll's offense. Ward is RotoBaller's QB25 and not a player who needs to be targeted outside of superflex leagues.

Marcus Mariota vs. Cam Ward

Still trying to decide between Mariota and Ward? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Marcus Mariota is projected to score 1.0 points this week while Cam Ward is projected to score 19.3 points.