Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or J.J. McCarthy


Week 1 Projections

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

Marcus Mariota News

Marcus Mariota Remains an Injury Away from Playing Time in Washington

Friday, March 27, 11:07 AM

Across 11 games (eight starts) in 2025, Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota completed 65.2% of his pass attempts for 1,695 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. The 32-year-old also remained a productive player with his legs, rushing for 297 yards and a touchdown on 50 attempts. Mariota was forced into more playing time than Washington would have liked in 2025, as star quarterback Jayden Daniels played in just seven games due to knee, hamstring, and elbow injuries. Still, Mariota profiles as one of the better backup quarterback options in the NFL, and the Commanders re-signed him to a one-year deal for the 2026 season in early March. When Mariota gets a chance to play, his dual-threat ability makes him a quality streaming option for fantasy managers, especially in two-quarterback formats. Given Daniels' durability question marks, Mariota should at least be on the radar of deep-league managers entering 2026.


Week 1 Projections

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

J.J. McCarthy News

J.J. McCarthy's Dynasty Value is Fading Heading into 2026

Wednesday, April 1, 7:47 AM

The number 10 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has struggled to get his professional career on track to this point. After missing his entire rookie season due to a torn meniscus, McCarthy was handed the starting role in Minnesota heading into 2025. Across 10 games, the 23-year-old completed just 57.6% of his pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. McCarthy also missed time due to ankle, hand, and head injuries. The Vikings made a big addition to their quarterback room over the offseason, signing former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. While Murray is also coming off a down year, he's established a far higher level of NFL production than McCarthy heading into 2026. While Minnesota plans to hold an open competition during training camp, McCarthy will have to show major improvement over the summer to hold onto the starting role. In dynasty formats, McCarthy's fantasy value has never been lower than it is right now.


Marcus Mariota vs. J.J. McCarthy

Still trying to decide between Mariota and McCarthy? 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 0.0 points this week while J.J. McCarthy is projected to score 0.0 points.