Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes that veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota is "far ahead" of rookie Desmond Ridder as the two compete for the starting job with the Atlanta Falcons. (ESPN)
Fantasy Impact
As Rothstein notes, Mariota was brought into Atlanta "to be the starter at least in the short term because he has familiarity with what coach Arthur Smith wants in the offense." He believes that if the Falcons are in playoff contention, Mariota will keep the job the whole way. If not, Week 11 could be a good target for him to hand the reins to Ridder because the team has 10 days between games and will be preparing for a below-average Bears team. The team could also make a change during their late Week 14 bye. For now, though, Mariota projects as Atlanta's QB1 and thus falls around the high-end QB3 range in fantasy leagues.