Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Isiah Pacheco

Thursday, December 18, 5:29 PM

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota has a tough matchup in Week 16 against his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Mariota will remain Washington's starter for the remainder of the regular season after the team shut down Jayden Daniels (elbow) after aggravating his elbow injury in Week 14. The 32-year-old signal-caller has been solid all season while filling in for Daniels, completing 62% of his passes for 1,600 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions while adding 49 carries for 298 yards and a touchdown as a runner in 10 games (seven starts). Mariota is averaging 18.4 fantasy points per game in his seven starts, which would be tied for QB11 on the season among quarterbacks with at least six games. Mariota profiles as a QB2 on Saturday against an Eagles defense that has allowed the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.

Friday, December 19, 4:39 PM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco led the backfield in the Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Pacheco handled 11 carries for 21 yards and did not earn a single target. The 26-year-old supplanted Kareem Hunt as the back with the most opportunities, but Pacheco only averaged 1.9 yards per carry with those opportunities. That said, he should retain the lead role in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans. The Titans have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, so Pacheco should have an easier time finding success on the ground. The Chiefs could also lean on the run game more with Patrick Mahomes out for the season. Minshew will step into the lead role at quarterback, which could decrease the overall efficiency of the offense. So, Pacheco may end up getting more work, but the scoring opportunities could be less frequent. Pacheco is ranked RB40 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a low-end flex option this week.