Tough news if you’re a Jayden Daniels owner in fantasy football. The young star Washington quarterback has been ruled out for Week 3’s matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, the Commanders will turn to backup quarterback Marcus Mariota for his first NFL start since 2022. Without Daniels under center, it begs the question: can we trust Mariota as a streaming option for Week 3?
Matchup Analysis
It feels like ages since Mariota was a starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons in 2022. Across 13 starts, Mariota threw for 2,219 yards with a 15/9 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He threw the ball like the game manager he was, averaging just over 170 yards per game while keeping the turnovers down. However, Mariota averaged almost 34 yards per game as a runner while adding four touchdowns on the ground. That boosted him to a QB20 finish in 2022 based on average points scored.
In a relief role last year as Washington’s quarterback, Mariota completed 34-of-44 passes for 364 yards and four scores, adding 18 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown. He was efficient, though he did not see much high-leverage action. There’s hope enough he can help deliver a win for Washington.
But despite your perceptions of the Raiders, this has been a strong Las Vegas defense to start the year. They’ve allowed only 33 points through two games against the Patriots and Chargers. While they have given up a decent amount of passing yards, Las Vegas has been nails against the run. Its front seven has conceded only 3.2 yards per carry without allowing a rushing touchdown.
The Verdict
Mariota isn’t going to deliver sufficient fantasy value with his yards through the air. Cracking 200 yards or throwing for multiple scores would be an achievement, despite the subpar nature of Las Vegas’ secondary. His value comes from the ground game. I’m not convinced that this Raiders defense will give him much space to scramble.
Drake Maye, Las Vegas’ Week 1 opponent, is a comparable rushing threat. Despite dropping back over 50 times in that game, Maye managed four runs for 11 yards with one fumble. The lack of upside on the ground makes Mariota a tough streaming option unless you are truly desperate.
