Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Kenny Pickett

Wednesday, August 6, 9:20 PM

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (leg) won't travel with the team for their preseason opener against the New England Patriots. Head coach Dan Quinn said on Wednesday that Mariota is dealing with a mild lower leg strain. Luckily, it sounds like a minor injury as Quinn said his level of concern was low. The Commanders will take the cautious approach and rest their backup quarterback. Mariota served as the backup to Jayden Daniels last season. He completed 34-of-44 passing attempts for 364 passing yards and four touchdowns in three games with Washington last year. There won't be any fantasy value here with Mariota while Daniels is healthy. Sam Hartman figures to see the bulk of the snaps in the preseason opener.

Wednesday, August 13, 6:59 PM

Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett (hamstring) remained limited to seven-on-seven drills during training camp practice on Wednesday, according to Browns beat writer Kelsey Russo. Pickett entered training camp as the primary competition for veteran Joe Flacco for the starting role entering Week 1, but he injured his hamstring on July 26 and hasn't taken part in team drills since then. He also missed the preseason opener last Thursday and probably will not play this Saturday in the second preseason contest versus the Philadelphia Eagles. It doesn't sound like it's an injury that will keep Pickett sidelined into the regular season, but he's effectively already lost the QB battle to Flacco. The Browns have one of the weakest and most beat up QB rooms in the league with rookies Dillon Gabriel (hamstring) and Shedeur Sanders (oblique) also nursing injuries.