Marcus Mariota Fantasy

The Las Vegas Raiders designated quarterback Marcus Mariota (pectoral) to return from Injured Reserve and also signed former Cowboys defensive lineman David Irving to the practice squad on Tuesday. Mariota was brought in during the offseason to push Derek Carr for the starting gig, but the former Tennessee Titan got hurt before the start of the regular season. The 26-year-old former Oregon Duck should return to being a high-priced backup to Carr when he's healthy enough to return, pushing Nathan Peterman down to No. 3 on the depth chart. Carr has been solid for the Raiders, completing a career-high 73.1 percent of his passes for 1,442 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception through five games in 2020, so it'll likely take an injury for Mariota to see the field before the season ends.

Oct. 20th • 5:07 PM

Three Las Vegas Raiders beat writers noted that quarterback Marcus Mariota had a poor week of practice in training camp. Head coach Jon Gruden's offense is a complicated system to pick up quickly, so perhaps that's part of the reason. It's good news for incumbent Derek Carr, but he'll still be on a short leash in 2020 if he gets off to a slow start. The 26-year-old Mariota was benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill in his final season in Tennessee and never really presented fantasy owners with a ton of upside. The Raiders coaching staff has a soft spot for Mariota, but it's looking more and more like Carr will get the nod in Week 1, as expected.

Aug. 25th • 2:56 PM

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said that quarterback Marcus Mariota "really fired me up today" at training camp on Friday. He has turned a corner with his ankle (injury) and he is a dazzling playmaker. He had a very nice day. It might just be coach speak, and we all know that Gruden typically loves almost every player he's laid eyes on in the NFL, but it's worth noting nonetheless. Incumbent Derek Carr could easily be on the hot seat early in 2020 if he doesn't impress the coaching staff with his production, and Mariota, despite his failures in Tennessee, remains athletic and is one of the highest-paid backup QBs in the league. If Mariota winds up making starts this year, he'd be a low-ceiling, low-end QB2.

Aug. 14th • 4:40 PM