Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Malik Willis

BENCH

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 Sprained MCL, Likely Out for Rest of Preseason

Sunday, August 16, 7:19 AM

Washington Commanders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota (knee) suffered a sprained MCL in the team's preseason opener on Friday against the Miami Dolphins that will likely keep him out for the rest of the preseason, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN. It's unclear at this time if Mariota's knee injury will keep him sidelined going into Week 1 of the 2026 regular season versus the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Sept. 13. Either way, the Commanders might be in the market for a veteran signal-caller to provide more depth behind starter Jayden Daniels. The other QBs on the roster are Sam Hartman and undrafted rookie Athan Kaliakmanis. The 32-year-old Mariota played a big part in the Commanders' offense a year ago with Daniels only playing in seven games due to injury, although he went 2-6 in his eight starts while throwing for 1,695 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in his 11 total games played.

START

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
20.8 34.5 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0

Malik Willis News

Malik Willis Making Visible Progress

Tuesday, August 25, 7:02 AM

The Miami Dolphins kicked off their final week of training camp practices on Monday, and after a summer of focus on fundamentals and technique, the progress made by quarterback Malik Willis was notable, according to team writer Travis Wingfield. During a short and rainy session, Willis impressed with his ability to get the ball out on time and in rhythm, showing continued development that only adds to his late-round fantasy appeal. On a small sample size of three career starts and some extended relief work with the Packers and Titans, Willis has been among the league's most efficient rushing quarterbacks, and if he can continue to progress as a passer, he possesses one of the highest fantasy ceilings to be found at the end of drafts. Currently coming off the board as the QB21, Willis has the ability to rack up points in a hurry and is a player who should not escape the final rounds of single-quarterback drafts.

Marcus Mariota vs. Malik Willis

Still trying to decide between Mariota and Willis? 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 Malik Willis is projected to score 20.8 points.