Week 4 Fantasy Football Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: Marcus Mariota VS Daniel Jones
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The Indianapolis Colts take on the Washington Commanders in the first London game of the season in a pivotal early matchup for both squads.
Marcus Mariota and Daniel Jones are the starters in this game, but who will produce a better Fantasy game in an effort to help their team win?
Marcus Mariota
Mariota will start for the Commanders after Jayden Daniels was ruled out for week 4. Daniels returned to practice this week with a brace limiting his range of motion on his elbow after suffering a gruesome injury in week 2. Despite the appearances in practice this week, Daniels isn’t up to game speed yet, giving Mariota another chance to shine in Fantasy.
With Daniels out, Mariota offers a solid Fantasy option against a defense that is susceptible to giving up Fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Mariota is no stranger to starting in place of Daniels as the former Oregon Duck started 10 games in place of an injured Daniels last season. In Mariota’s first start of this season, he led the Commanders to a 33-31 win over the defending Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks. In the win over the Seahawks, Mariota finished with 20.4 Fantasy points, his most since week 13 of the 2025 season.
Looking ahead to week 4, Mariota will face a Colts defense that allows the fifth-most amount of points to opposing quarterbacks. The Colts allow an average of 21.9 FPPG to opposing QBs, which bodes well for Mariota’s Fantasy perspective if he were to start on Sunday.
Marcus Mariota just called game! @SEAvsWAS on FOX/FOX One
— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/rsIGdzozr9
Daniel Jones
Jones has been in the Fantasy dweller among quarterbacks as the Colts QB ranks as QB 28 and the second-worst QB with three games played with 10.4 FPPG. The Colts offense has exclusively been the Jonathan-Taylor show after Alec Pierce’s injury, which hurts Jones’ Fantasy outlook. If there’s ever a week for Jones to break out of the slump it’s in week 4 against a poor Commanders pass defense.
The Commanders allow the second-most Fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks with a 28.0 FPPG average. The Commanders rank second worst in passing yards allowed per game and most passing touchdowns allowed per game, which contributes to opposing QBs having productive Fantasy games against the Commanders. Jones has been the opposite of spectacular in Fantasy in the first three games of the season, but week 4 presents the opportunity to flip the trend.
Another positive aspect for Jones’ Fantasy outlook this week is the Indianapolis Colts quarterback is 1-0 in London games in his career.
Daniel Jones finds Keenan Allen to extend the @Colts' lead@HOUvsIND on CBS/Paramount+
— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/8si5LbFiTY
The Verdict
Mariota presents a sneaky option for Fantasy managers in week 4. Mariota’s Fantasy performance against a tough Seahawks defense makes the former Heisman winner worth starting against any opponent.
Even with a favorable matchup against one of the worst pass defenses, Jones is too risky to start. Jones has done nothing in terms of Fantasy production this season and it’s hard to start Jones when there are plenty of other options at QB who have produced in Fantasy early on in the season.
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Jeff Salcedo is a writer for Fantasy Sports on SI with extensive experience covering the NFL, MMA, NBA, and soccer. A dedicated fantasy sports enthusiast, he has competed in fantasy leagues and daily fantasy sports (DFS) contests for more than a decade. Before joining Fantasy Sports on SI, Salcedo worked as a senior sports reporter for BYU's student newspaper, The Daily Universe.
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