Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Lamar Jackson

Friday, January 2, 12:26 PM

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (hand) has officially been ruled out for Sunday's Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. Mariota was a stretch to make it back to play in the final game of the year after injuring his hand in the Week 16 loss to the Eagles. The 32-year-old veteran was held out of the Christmas Day loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17 and will now miss a second straight game to end the year. Journeyman QB Josh Johnson will make a second straight start for the Commanders. Mariota ended up playing in 11 games (eight starts) this year while filling in for the injured Jayden Daniels, and he held his own, throwing for 1,695 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He added 297 yards on the ground and a TD.

Friday, January 23, 3:46 PM

To this point in his career, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has spent all eight of his NFL seasons playing for head coach John Harbaugh. However, that is set to change in 2026. Baltimore parted ways with Harbaugh at the conclusion of the 2025 regular season, and the team recently announced the hiring of former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. With 2025 Ravens play-caller Todd Monken likely to follow Harbaugh to his new gig as the head coach of the New York Giants, Jackson appears likely to be working with his fourth different offensive coordinator since the start of his time with Baltimore. After back-to-back first-team All-Pro selections in 2023 and 2024, Jackson battled through injuries in a relative down year in 2025. Even still, the 29-year-old averaged over eight yards per pass attempt while rushing for 349 yards and two scores. Jackson may be rejuvenated by a change of leadership in Baltimore, and he remains a high-end quarterback option for fantasy managers heading into 2026.