Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Jake Browning


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 Knee Injury in Preseason Opener

Friday, August 14, 3:50 PM

Washington Commanders veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota (knee) was pointing to his right knee when athletic trainers came out to check on him during Friday's preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. Mariota was sent to the blue medical tent and was replaced by Sam Hartman at QB. The 32-year-old signal-caller played in 11 games and made eight starts in 2025 in his second year in Washington, with starter Jayden Daniels only starting seven games. Mariota went 2-6 in his eight starts, throwing for 1,695 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in his 11th year in the NFL. The Commanders' QB depth behind Daniels would be in serious trouble if Mariota is dealing with a major knee injury, as they only have Hartman and rookie Athan Kaliakmanis on the QB depth chart behind Mariota. He almost certainly will not return to Friday's game against Miami, even if his knee injury turns out to be minor.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
0.6 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Jake Browning News

Jake Browning Plans to Sign One-Year Deal With Buccaneers

Wednesday, March 11, 12:50 PM

Free-agent quarterback Jake Browning plans to sign an undisclosed one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Browning will go from backing up Joe Burrow in Cincinnati to backing up Baker Mayfield in Tampa. The 29-year-old signal-caller from Washington has three years of NFL experience with the Bengals, appearing in 17 games (10 starts). In those games, Browning completed 68.5% of his 368 pass attempts for 2,707 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. He led the league with a 70.4% completion percentage in his rookie year in 2023, when he was forced to make seven starts with Burrow injured. In Tampa, Browning will serve as a solid backup option for Mayfield, whose aggressive style of play opens him up to plenty of injuries. If Browning is forced into starts for the Bucs in 2026, he definitely won't have the top-notch receiving corps he worked with in Cincy.


Marcus Mariota vs. Jake Browning

Still trying to decide between Mariota and Browning? 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 Jake Browning is projected to score 0.6 points.