Josh Allen vs Marcus Mariota: Who Should You Start?
Josh Allen and Marcus Mariota are at different tiers heading into 2026. The Buffalo Bills quarterback averaged 22.0 PPG in 2025, a full 10.0 points per game ahead of Marcus Mariota's 12.0 with the Washington Commanders. That kind of gap doesn't close on matchup alone.
A 10.0-PPG gap gives Josh Allen the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
Josh Allen offers meaningful rushing upside with 579 yards on the ground in 2025, which separates his floor from a pocket passer like Marcus Mariota (1695 passing yards, 10 touchdowns). In games where the passing matchup looks ugly, that rushing production can be the entire difference on a start/sit call.
Josh Allen has his bye in Week 12, and Marcus Mariota rests in Week 14. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at quarterback for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
