Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Daniel Jones

Wednesday, December 24, 12:46 PM

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (hand, quadriceps) has officially been ruled out for the Week 17 divisional game on Christmas Day on Thursday against the Dallas Cowboys, according to Tashan Reed of The Washington Post. Mariota injured his hand and quad in Saturday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. It's unclear if Mariota will be cleared to play in next week's regular-season finale against the Eagles. With Mariota out on Christmas Day, veteran journeyman Josh Johnson will make his first start in the NFL since late in the 2021 season. For what it's worth, head coach Dan Quinn said he's hoping that Mariota will be ready to return in Week 18 for the rematch against Philly. The 32-year-old has been serviceable as a QB2 in fantasy football in 11 games (eight starts) this year with Jayden Daniels injured, completing 61.2% of his passes for 1,695 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven picks.

Saturday, December 13, 6:43 PM

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (Achilles) underwent surgery to repair his Achilles, which will sideline him for six to eight months. This should give Jones the ability to get fully cleared in time for training camp next summer. Jones is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but the two sides have reportedly not been discussing a contract extension. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Colts are expected to try to re-sign Jones, but the question is at what cost. Before going down in Week 14, Jones was experiencing a bounce-back season. The 28-year-old threw for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns, eight interceptions, while rushing for 164 yards on 45 rushing attempts and five scores over 13 games in 2025.