Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Jalen Hurts

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.

Friday, December 26, 11:10 PM

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts helped out fantasy managers last week with two passing touchdowns and his biggest day on the ground since Week 4, tallying 40 rushing yards. Hurts may have to rely on his legs some more in his upcoming game against the Bills, as Buffalo allows just 167.1 passing yards per game this season, which is the second-fewest in the league. Luckily, the Bills let Browns QB Shedeur Sanders scramble all around them last week as the rookie led his team with 49 rushing yards. While it may be tough to get it going through the air, Hurts has shown he can score in more ways than one with his eight rushing touchdowns this season. In this high-octane clash of Super Bowl-hopefuls, expect Hurts to bring his A-game. Especially with his five passing touchdowns in his last two games, consider him a solid QB1 despite the slightly intimidating matchup.