Who Should I Start? Russell Wilson or Marcus Mariota

Friday, July 26, 1:26 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that there weren't any setbacks with quarterback Russell Wilson's calf injury, and he just wanted "to keep a minor thing from becoming major." Wilson was held out of training camp practice for a second straight day due to a minor calf injury, but there's no timetable for the 35-year-old veteran to return to the field. It's an injury that shouldn't affect Wilson's readiness for the start of his first year in Pittsburgh, but at the same time, he's missing valuable reps to gain chemistry with his receivers while learning a new offense. In the meantime, former Chicago Bears first-round QB Justin Fields is running the first-team offense. Wilson looked like shell of his former self in Denver the last two years and doesn't have enough receiving weapons around him in the Steel City to make him anything more than a low-upside QB2 in fantasy.

Thursday, June 13, 12:52 PM

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota has been splitting first-team reps with first-round rookie Jayden Daniels this offseason, according to head coach Dan Quinn. The former No. 2 overall pick in 2015 by the Tennessee Titans signed a one-year deal with Washington at the start of free agency, and he could be the short-term starter if the team wants Daniels to sit for the first few weeks of the 2024 campaign. Although Mariota has struggled to keep a starting job, he has underrated fantasy football upside thanks to his rushing skill set. In 13 games for the Atlanta Falcons in 2022, Mariota averaged a respectable 15.8 fantasy points per game behind 2,219 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions, 438 rushing yards, and four rushing touchdowns. He's a must-stash option in Superflex leagues, and fantasy managers might get one or two QB1 weeks out of him if he's the starter to begin the Dan Quinn era in Washington.