Jayden Daniels Ruled Out, Marcus Mariota To Start Week 3 Against The Raiders
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The Washington Commanders, in their week three matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, will be without their star second-year quarterback, Jayden Daniels. It was trending toward this outcome, as Daniels will be out with a left knee sprain that he suffered against the Green Bay Packers in week two. He did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday and was limited on Friday. Here are the fantasy football implications of Daniels not suiting up on Sunday in week three.
Commanders' Fantasy Impact: Marcus Mariota
Breaking: Commanders HC Dan Quinn announced that Marcus Mariota will start against the Raiders as Jayden Daniels recovers from his knee sprain. pic.twitter.com/uvhIExgltf
— ESPN (@espn) September 19, 2025
The second-string quarterback for the Commanders is Marcus Mariota, and he was just announced as the official starter for week three. Mariota saw the field some last year for Washington. In two games of the 2024 season, he played the majority of snaps and performed extremely well.
Against the Carolina Panthers, he threw for 205 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, and was efficient doing so, going 18/23. Against the Dallas Cowboys, where again he came into relieve, Daniels he threw for another two touchdowns and no interceptions, and went 15/18 for 161 yards.
It was clear in Mariota’s short time on the field that he was beyond comfortable in the Commanders’ system. With him as the starter, pass catchers on the team in fantasy should see no change, fantasy production wise. On the other hand, Mariota becomes a top QB DFS play, as well as a great streaming option for fantasy owners who had Daniels or even Justin Fields as their starter.
Daniels has a high fantasy ceiling week in and week out, and it is much to do with what he can do with his legs. Mariota as a QB can also rack up fantasy points in the same way. Last season in the two games mentioned above, he combined for 16 carries, 90 rushing yards, and a touchdown.
Other Fantasy QB Streaming Options
Along with Mariota, there are a few other great QB streaming options to fill the void of Daniels being out.
Matthew Stafford
Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford is still not rostered by over 60% of fantasy leagues on ESPN, despite putting up back-to-back solid outings. In his two weeks combined, he has three TD passes, one INT, and is averaging 271.5 passing yards per game. His week three opponent are a tough one in the Philadelphia Eagles, but he is still a solid streaming option to fill in for Daniels.
Carson Wentz
This is a riskier play given his limited starts as a backup, but Minnesota Vikkings QB, Carson Wentz, has an ideal matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals, through two weeks, are currently ranked fifth in the NFL for most passing yards allowed per game. Wentz is not as mobile as JJMcCarthy, who is out with an ankle sprain, but if given enough time, he should have no problem locating and hitting his pass catchers.
Russell Wilson
The New York Giants' starting quarterback is coming off a massive fantasy performance. Against the Dallas Cowboys in week two, he threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns. The Kansas City Chiefs have a middle-of-the-pack secondary, and it would not be a bad idea at all to bet on Wilson’s week two promise to roll over into week three.
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Gray Deyo is a Nashville-based sportswriter who graduated with a sports management bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has covered prep sports, college sports, the WNBA, and the NBA for the past four years. In addition to writing for SI, Gray also currently contributes to Prep Girls Hoops