Falcons QB Marcus Mariota was Atlanta's 2nd-leading rusher in Sunday's narrow loss to the Saints, taking 12 rushing attempts for 72 yards. That trailed Cordarrelle Patterson's 22-120-1 rushing line, but no other Atlanta player carried more than twice. Mariota even scored from 2 yards out in the 3rd quarter. That strong rushing line accompanied just 215 passing yards with no TDs. So Mariota will need to do more on the passing side to make him truly fantasy viable. But the rushing will be key if he is to work his way to starter consideration.
Ted Nguyen of The Athletic believes Falcons rookie QB Desmond Ridder is "mentally ready to handle being an NFL starter." Nguyen calls Ridder "a poised, polished prospect who played in a Cincinnati offense that utilizes many drop back concepts that translate to the pro game." He lauded Ridder's reading of defenses and decisive downfield throws in the preseason. Nguyen also acknowledged that the Falcons "seem set" on starting QB Marcus Mariota in Week 1. And it's worth noting that the veteran finished the preseason with the highest Pro Football Focus passing grade in the league (albeit on just 12 attempts across 15 dropbacks). Unless Mariota has the team surprisingly in contention, though, it would make sense for the Falcons to give Ridder a shot this season to see if he can be the future or if they need to pursue a 1st-round QB next April.
Falcons QB Marcus Mariota played just 13 snaps in the 1st preseason game, attempting only 2 throws (he completed both). He then gave way to rookie Desmond Ridder for triple the playing time in that one. Mariota played just 15 snaps in Monday night's 2nd exhibition, against the Jets, but he went 6-of-10 passing for 132 yards, 1 TD and a 137.5 passer rating. “I’m pleased with Marcus,” HC Arthur Smith told reporters afterward, according to Pro Football Talk. “He got into a good rhythm. The only drive I thought wasn’t very good was where we tried to simulate a two-minute situation, we got backed up and it wasn’t really clean there, but other than that I thought he was really cleaned when he was in there. I think he got into the offense, got into a rhythm, made a big-time throw.” Expect Mariota to hit the regular season as the starter. We'll see about Ridder's progression and whether he's in for a shot this year.
Josh Kendall of The Athletic says the "Falcons seem to have [Marcus] Mariota firmly penciled into that starting role now." He adds that he expects to see rookie QB Desmond Ridder get a shot before the end of the season. "Firmly penciled in" seems like deliberate language in that it points to Mariota being the heavy favorite at the moment -- but also that Ridder could change things if he simply outperforms the vet. We'll keep watching the competition, though the fantasy impact is minimal given what should be 1 of the league's worst offenses.
Falcons QB Marcus Mariota has been working with the 1st team in the first few days of training camp, per The Athletic's Josh Kendall. Rookie QB Desmond Ridders has been with the 2s. "Obviously, we’ve got a plan for each of them. Marcus is the starter,” QBs coach Charles London said. “I expect those guys to compete. Right now, Marcus is the starter, and he’s doing a great job.” Consider Mariota a comfy favorite to open the season as Atlanta's starter -- but there's still a good chance we see Ridder at some point.
Per ESPN’s Michael Rothstein, Falcons QB Marcus Mariota “appears to be far ahead” of QB Desmond Ridder. Unsurprisingly, Rothstein says it would be “a stretch” for Ridder to start the opener. Our current QB projections have Mariota for 12 games; the rookie for 5. Note that Atlanta’s bye week doesn’t arrive until Week 14.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith has been impressed by QB Desmond Ridder's football IQ. “He’s very intelligent,” Smith said of Ridder. “There are a lot of things that go into playing quarterback that we ask him to do. Behind the scenes, the things that he has done that have really impressed me are from the neck up. You’re betting on the physical things that you have seen at times to catch up, but he’s light years ahead of most young quarterbacks I have been with from the neck up. I will give him that compliment publicly.” QB Marcus Mariota will head to training camp as Atlanta's starter, but it sounds like Ridder is in position to push him for the Week 1 nod.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith left open the possibility that rookie QB Desmond Ridder gets some starts this season. “As with any position, the best guy is going to play,” Smith said. “With Marcus [Mariota] being the veteran, that’s the way it’ll go for now.” So Mariota will head to training camp atop the depth chart and should be considered the favorite to start Week 1. But it'd certainly make sense for the Falcons to get a good look at Ridder before deciding whether they want to dive back into the QB market in 2023. Ridder was the best player on Atlanta's board when they selected him 74th overall on Friday night. “There was never a time where Arthur Smith and I said we have to come out of this draft with a quarterback,” GM Terry Fontenot said. “He was the best player on the board at that time, and that’s why we took him.”
The Falcons selected QB Desmond Ridder in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. At 6’3, 211 pounds, Ridder’s on the thin side for the QB position. But his lack of special arm talent and inconsistent accuracy likely led to his slide. Still, he enters the pros with 49 career starts and the 3rd most QB wins in FBS history (43). The 22-year-old adds plus mobility, pocket poise and high character. He has a chance to make some 2022 starts, but Marcus Mariota will enter the summer as the clear favorite. Longer term, you have to like Atlanta's current 1-2 punch of Kyle Pitts and Drake London.
The Falcons announced Monday they have agreed to a 2-year deal with QB Marcus Mariota. He's likely a step down in passing from Matt Ryan. At the least, Mariota will have to prove otherwise after he washed out with Tennessee and then spent the past 2 years backing up Derek Carr. But his rushing ability makes him a far more attractive fantasy option than Ryan. Mariota has experience with HC Arthur Smith from their Titans days, which can only help speed his acclimation to the offense. The QB's arrival might be negative for Cordarrelle Patterson's target upside, but we'll let the situation play out a little further before making any significant change to the RB-WR hybrid's outlook.
Raiders QB Marcus Mariota will miss "multiple weeks" with a quad injury, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Mariota entered on Vegas' 3rd offensive snap on Monday night, ripped off a 31-yard run -- and then hurt his quad. We won't need to worry about Mariota stealing snaps from QB Derek Carr for a while.
Titans WR Adam Humphries has inked a 4-year, $36 million deal with the Titans. The former undrafted free agent boosted his catch and yardage totals in each of his 4 seasons in Tampa Bay, topping out with a 76-816-5 line this past year. A pure slot receiver, Humphries is averaging just 10.6 yards per catch for his career but sports a nice 70.4% catch rate. He has a shot to finish 2nd on the 2019 Titans in targets, with nothing proven at WR behind Corey Davis and 34-year-old TE Delanie Walker returning from a fractured ankle. The Bucs, meanwhile, have now lost Humphries and DeSean Jackson today. That leaves Chris Godwin as the clear #2 and 2018 5th-rounder Justin Watson as an intriguing sleeper -- barring a major addition at the position. TE O.J. Howard should also see a rise in targets.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that Titans QB Marcus Mariota (elbow) is not expected to play against the Jaguars today. He "has not experienced enough improvement" in that throwing elbow, according to Rapoport. So QB Blaine Gabbert gets another start in a brutal matchup. Your best bet is to avoid Tennessee's passing game today.
Titans HC Mike Vrabel said Wednesday that QB Marcus Mariota is "feeling good" and is "good to go" for this weekend's game against the Texans. Mariota was spotted throwing in the portion of practice open to the media. He said afterward that his elbow is feeling ok but that there's "still a little tingle," per insider Terry McCormick. We'll be on the lookout for more updates on Mariota's status over the next few days. For now, he looks like a risky Week 2 fantasy play.
Titans QB Marcus Mariota said Wednesday that his injured hamstring feels "a lot better." He did more in practice on Wednesday than he did last week, but he still wasn't a full-go. "As the days go on, hopefully I’ll feel better and better," Mariota said. "It is just taking it one day at a time and hopefully I’ll be able to go. Hopefully towards the end of the week I’ll get more on my plate and hopefully I’ll feel comfortable to try and play on Monday.” We'll continue to track Mariota's progress and hope to have a good idea about his status by Sunday morning.
The Titans used the #5 overall pick on WR Corey Davis. He was a stat-compiling machine at Western Michigan, leaving as the NCAA’s record holder for career receiving yards (5,278). After posting a 67-941-6 line as a true freshman, he topped 1,400 yards and 12 TDs in each of his final 3 seasons. He certainly squared off against some weaker competition in the MAC but also averaged 5.8 catches, 77.9 yards and .6 TDs in 9 games against “Power 5” conferences (ACC, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12). An ankle injury prevented Davis from working out in the pre-draft process, but he looks plenty athletic on film. He’s also 1 of the most advanced route runners in the class. Davis has a shot to quickly become Tennessee’s #1 WR, bumping Rishard Matthews to the #2 spot. QB Marcus Mariota’s stock is on the rise.
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