Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Tua Tagovailoa
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
Friday, August 14, 3:50 PM
Washington Commanders veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota (knee) was pointing to his right knee when athletic trainers came out to check on him during Friday's preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. Mariota was sent to the blue medical tent and was replaced by Sam Hartman at QB. The 32-year-old signal-caller played in 11 games and made eight starts in 2025 in his second year in Washington, with starter Jayden Daniels only starting seven games. Mariota went 2-6 in his eight starts, throwing for 1,695 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in his 11th year in the NFL. The Commanders' QB depth behind Daniels would be in serious trouble if Mariota is dealing with a major knee injury, as they only have Hartman and rookie Athan Kaliakmanis on the QB depth chart behind Mariota. He almost certainly will not return to Friday's game against Miami, even if his knee injury turns out to be minor.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.7 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Tua Tagovailoa News
Friday, August 14, 1:15 PM
The Atlanta Falcons have yet to name a starting quarterback ahead of Friday night's preseason opener against the Denver Broncos, but ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says that Tua Tagovailoa has an "inside track" on the starting gig. Tagovailoa is the obvious favorite to eventually be named the Falcons' Week 1 starter under center, primarily because Michael Penix Jr. (knee) has yet to be cleared for team drills in training camp after suffering a partially torn ACL in his knee in Week 11 of last year. As long as Tagovailoa stays healthy through the preseason and doesn't totally flop, he should enter his first year in Atlanta as the starter over the rehabbing Penix. However, with that said, that won't suddenly make him a super popular QB2 target in superflex leagues, as there's still plenty of injury risk with the former first-rounder, and the Falcons will likely have a short leash on him if he struggles. Head coach Kevin Stefanski may wait until after the preseason and for Penix to get a fair shake before making an official announcement. At RotoBaller, Tagovailoa is ranked as the QB30, one spot behind Raiders' rookie Fernando Mendoza.
Marcus Mariota vs. Tua Tagovailoa
Still trying to decide between Mariota and Tagovailoa? 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 Tua Tagovailoa is projected to score 11.7 points.
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