Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Rashid Shaheed

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.

Saturday, January 24, 8:00 PM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed was largely responsible for putting last week's Divisional Round rubber match with the 49ers out of hand from the jump, returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown in a game that was never close. The play marked Shaheed's third special teams score since being acquired from the New Orleans Saints via a mid-season trade, but his impact has been felt less on offense. After playing his first half of the season in New Orleans on a 17-game pace of 83 receptions for 943 yards and four touchdowns, that pace has fallen drastically to 26 catches for 320 yards and zero receiving touchdowns since his trade to Seattle. Over the past four games, he's caught two passes for ten yards. Even against a Los Angeles defense that has been beatable through the air, Shaheed carries very little value outside of fantasy playoff leagues that reward return yards and touchdowns.