Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Michael Penix Jr.
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
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.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.3 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Michael Penix Jr. News
Tuesday, August 25, 10:09 AM
Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski is not speculating as to whether quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (knee) will realistically have a chance to win the starting QB job over Tua Tagovailoa, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic. "I can't speculate on those types of things," Stefanski said. "I want to really stay in today with Mike and see how he does in practice. I really have to stay in the moment with this one. Let's see how he feels after today." Penix was cleared last week by his surgeon to return to full 11-on-11 practice work, and that happened for the first time in training camp on Monday. After tearing his ACL last year, Penix went 4-for-8 passing on Monday in 11-on-11 drills. He and Tagovailoa are expected to continue splitting first-team reps in practice, and there is still no timetable for Stefanski to name a starter for Week 1 of the regular season. Even though Tagovailoa has not been great this summer, he still figures to be the favorite to start in Week 1. Regardless of who is under center for Atlanta to kick off the regular season, they will be on a short leash and will have minimal upside as a QB2 in two-QB superflex fantasy leagues.
Marcus Mariota vs. Michael Penix Jr.
Still trying to decide between Mariota and Penix Jr.? 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 Michael Penix Jr. is projected to score 8.3 points.
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