Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Sam Darnold
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Marcus Mariota News
Friday, March 27, 11:07 AM
Across 11 games (eight starts) in 2025, Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota completed 65.2% of his pass attempts for 1,695 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. The 32-year-old also remained a productive player with his legs, rushing for 297 yards and a touchdown on 50 attempts. Mariota was forced into more playing time than Washington would have liked in 2025, as star quarterback Jayden Daniels played in just seven games due to knee, hamstring, and elbow injuries. Still, Mariota profiles as one of the better backup quarterback options in the NFL, and the Commanders re-signed him to a one-year deal for the 2026 season in early March. When Mariota gets a chance to play, his dual-threat ability makes him a quality streaming option for fantasy managers, especially in two-quarterback formats. Given Daniels' durability question marks, Mariota should at least be on the radar of deep-league managers entering 2026.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Sam Darnold News
Friday, April 3, 10:50 AM
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has been a top-13 fantasy option in each of the last two seasons. In 2025, the Super Bowl champion racked up 4,048 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Darnold has not missed a game in back-to-back seasons (2024 with the Vikings and 2025 with the Seahawks). In fantasy football, he has benefited from the presence of Justin Jefferson or Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the last two years, respectively. Under contract through 2027, Darnold will now have at least two more years of Smith-Njigba at his disposal, keeping him in the low-end QB1 or high-end QB2 range. Most dynasty managers will find themselves in a position to hold Darnold this offseason. Selling high is an option, but the lack of name value or rushing upside will probably result in trade offers that don't quite live up to his value. Therefore, he's worth holding, since he still offers low-end QB1 appeal even if other managers won't offer QB1 value in trades.
Marcus Mariota vs. Sam Darnold
Still trying to decide between Mariota and Darnold? 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 0.0 points this week while Sam Darnold is projected to score 0.0 points.
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