Marcus

Mariota

Mariota may sneak into the low-end QB1 scoring group at week’s end, but this was hardly a standout showing. The Commanders’ fill-in starting quarterback was gifted a fantasy-friendly game script early on. The Lions scored their first touchdown with 8:29 minutes remaining in the first quarter and were up 14-3 by the time the second quarter began. Mariota does deserve credit for running hard despite taking a bit hit from a Lions’ defender on a nine-yard run, and somehow getting October-signee, WR Treylon Burks, involved for a team-high 58 receiving yards on three catches. Mariota is a high-end QB2 against the Dolphins next week.

The Commanders and their fans are breathing a big sigh of relief after learning that Daniels avoided the worst-case scenario. Despite the grotesque nature of his injury, Daniels is expected to avoid being placed on the injured reserve list, for now, but the team will re-evaluate his injury during their Week 12 bye. We already knew Daniels would miss Week 10’s game against the Lions, but we now know he will also miss Week 12’s game against the Dolphins, which will be played in Spain. Regardless of when he returns to the field, this was the absolute best news Daniels and the Commanders could have asked for, as a return could still be possible this season. Whether or not Dan Quinn will opt to rush his franchise quarterback back in what is effectively turning into a lost season for the Commanders is to be determined, but this is good news for everyone entering the weekend.

Quinn said the team would announce a plan on how to proceed with the serious elbow injury Daniels sustained in Week 9 after looking strongly into various medical opinions on how to address the injury. Quinn said Monday there is no timetable for Daniels’ return to game action, though there remains some hope Daniels can avoid surgery and return later this year. He did not suffer a fracture in his elbow. For now, Marcus Mariota will start for Washington. He’ll be a superflex option in Week 10 against the Lions.

Quinn isn’t placing a timetable on Daniels’ return at the time, but said the team is still working on gathering information on the injury. Quinn, who said the decision to play Daniels in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss was “100 percent on me,” later added that he should be able to provide a clearer update by Wednesday or Thursday. Daniels didn’t suffer a fracture to his non-throwing arm, which is a great sign, but there is still concern about any potential ligament damage, and the option of surgery remains up in the air. A trip to injured reserve seems likely at this point, but we’ll wait for Quinn to provide an update before drawing any conclusions. Marcus Mariota will start as long as Daniels is sidelined.

These negative X-rays confirm that Daniels did not suffer any kind of fracture when he went down in Sunday night’s game against the Seahawks. The MRI, however, will determine what, if any, ligament damage occurred and how severe it is. There’s still a lot to learn here, but this news, coupled with an earlier report from Rapoport that said “there is a chance this is not a season-ending injury” for Daniels, is a very encouraging sign. We’ll likely know more before the day is over, but it goes without saying that Daniels is out for the foreseeable future, putting Marcus Mariota back in the starting role.

Mariota seemed to be doing enough to threaten an upset on the road, passing for 155 yards in the first half in what was a 7-7 game at the break. The wheels fell off the rest of the way with the Commanders failing to move the football with any sort of consistency in the second half. Two turnovers on downs and an interception in the red zone in the first half stalled any momentum, but the Washington defense kept the team in the game - at least enough to keep the team competitive through two frames. The Commanders drop their third straight contest and are now in need of a mid-season intervention, which could come in the form of a return to health of second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels for a difficult test at home against the Seahawks.

According to Rapoport, Daniels is dealing with “a low-grade” hamstring injury that could only sideline him for one week. Head coach Dan Quinn didn’t waste any time ruling him out for Week 8 when he announced on Thursday that the Commanders would be without their QB1 for Monday Night Football against the Chiefs, so we’ll see if he gets a longer leash next week. The proof will be in the injury report, but a return to practice ahead of Week 9’s game would be an encouraging sign for the star QB after being sidelined all of this week.

It’s not an enviable scenario for Mariota, but his legs and a profoundly negative game script should keep him on the QB2 radar in superflex leagues. It does appear that there’s at least a chance he’ll have Deebo Samuel (heel) and Terry McLaurin (quad) back, which should help him do better than he and Daniels did last week when the Commanders barely managed a functional passing offense against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL in Dallas.

Jhabvala said Daniels will sit and Marcus Mariota will get his third start of the season against Kansas City on Monday night. Mariota has proven an adept game manager with some fantasy appeal in his two 2025 starts, throwing three touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 94 yards and a touchdown. Daniels’ absence will be a downgrade for all Washington pass catchers and the general scoring environment of this Washington-KC matchup. Mariota should be started in all superflex formats.

Quinn has seldom been clear about the health of his QB1. He beat around the bush for two weeks while Daniels worked through a groin injury, and will likely play the status of his QB1 close to the vest for most of this week. The proof will be in the practice report, which won’t be released until Thursday since the Commanders play on Monday night, but fantasy managers counting on Daniels in Week 8 would be wise to stash backup Marcus Mariota on their bench in case he is ruled out late Sunday or on game day. If he is unable to play in Week 8, it would mark the third game Daniels has missed this season.