X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

The Tape Tells All - Marcus Mariota's Week 10 Performance

Justin Carter breaks down game tape of Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota's recent performance to help fantasy football owners get a sense of his value heading into Week 11 of the 2018 NFL season.

We're over halfway through the NFL season and I still haven't broken down any quarterbacks in this column. The reason?

Yeah, I don't know. I guess no one really surprised me enough? But over the past two weeks, one quarterback has really come to life -- Tennessee Titans passer Marcus Mariota.

Let's look at some tape from Week 10, some stats, and some other things as we try to figure out how much we should or shouldn't trust Mariota moving forward.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Marcus Mariota: The Tape Tells All

Background Information

It seems like we've been waiting on and anticipating the Marcus Mariota breakout for years now, and it gets so tantalizingly close at times, and then it winds up not happening. It's one of the sure things in the fantasy football world -- you'll think that Mariota has arrived, and then you'll realize he hasn't.

If we dive into what the stats are telling us about Mariota this year, we find some conflicting things:

  • His rushing numbers are great for fantasy owners, as he ranks among the top six quarterbacks in carries, red zone carries per game, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. Add in a 40-yard dash time that ranks in the 98th percentile among quarterbacks and you have the recipe for a good fantasy quarterback who is able to exploit the importance of rushing yardage and touchdowns in fantasy scoring.
  • Some passing stats that are good: Mariota ranks eighth in true completion percentage (a stat that filters out drops and unpressured throwaways), and he ranks ninth in accuracy rating. Mariota is definitely able to put the ball where it needs to be a good amount of the time.
  • Some passing stats that are pretty meh: Mariota is 14th in completion percentage on both play action plays and deep passes, which isn't bad but also...you'd probably like to see him more efficient at one of those. And while he's just 27th among quarterbacks in fantasy points per game, he's 18th in fantasy points per dropback.
  • Some passing stats that are...less good: Well, he's 27th in fantasy points per game! And 33rd in red zone completion percentage, which is especially frustrating because one of the key selling points on Mariota over the last few seasons has been that he's an effective passer in the red zone due to his lack of turnovers down there. He's also 27th in adjusted yards per attempt, and for a good old traditional stat here: he's thrown just seven touchdowns.

Ultimately, making a season-long statistical case for Mariota is difficult. The numbers suggest that he's best as a short-range passer, but he's also struggled immensely in the red zone, so the area where his short passing numbers would be most useful has actually been harmful to his overall numbers this year. And while those two facts seem incongruous enough to suggest that one of them must be a mirage, Mariota has actually gotten better in the red zone this year. That stat everyone spouted off before this season about Mariota not throwing interceptions in the red zone? Yeah, it was true, but it also ignored the fact that he was also throwing a ton of incompletions down there.

 

Marcus Mariota's Game Tape

But over the past two games, Mariota has seemingly taken some kind of a step. Four of his seven touchdowns have come over that span, and after throwing for less than 200 yards in four of his first five games, he's now thrown for more than 200 in three consecutive appearances.

Let's take a look at some film from Week 10's win over the Patriots and see what it's telling us about Mariota.

For Marcus Mariota to be successful, he probably needs to run an offense that takes advantage of his speed and makes use of his running backs t0 misdirect things. Starting this play with both Dion Lewis and Derrick Henry in the backfield -- something that should happen more, as Henry was only on the field for 15 offensive plays this week -- creates a lot of confusion. You run a play action here with Lewis, then get Henry out in the flat, which is a pretty easy dump-off to make. But Mariota is fast, and can buy time, and he sees a chance to get the ball to Corey Davis farther down the field, so he steps up and does so. A lot of moving parts on this play, and if the Titans want to be successful then they should take advantage of all the misdirections available to them.

Here's a great example of the threat of Mariota as a runner opening things up for the Titans offensively. Play starts with Dion Lewis in motion, which gets a linebacker heading to the left side of the field. Then Mariota almost immediately rolls out, which brings one defender who could have been helping on Jonnu Smith down to defend against the threat of Mariota running, which gets Smith in a one-on-one against a defender who doesn't have good positioning from the start of the play and is having to try to catch up. Touchdown Titans.

So, two plays in and we see how Mariota moving can be an effective way of doing things for the Titans. You have one of the NFL's fastest quarterbacks, and you need to take advantage of that when building plays for him.

Let's look at a play where Mariota doesn't move around.

There's still play action, but you can see that by going with the quick pass here, Mariota has to wedge the ball into a pretty tight window. And while he's got the accuracy to do that and he completes this pass, it's notable how much more difficult this completion is than the first two we looked at.

Here's Mariota's other touchdown throw from Sunday's contest.

This is a lot more of a traditional "drop back and pass" kind of play than the others, and it's some good evidence to support the idea that Mariota can be a successful NFL quarterback. He gets a really, really clean pocket here, and gets his best receiver up top with a step on the defender. Seeing Mariota succeed vertically is big, because he hasn't been a big air yards guy this year, and one of the best indicators of a quarterback's success can be his ability to throw the ball down the field.

I'm not going to break down any more film here, but here are just a few brief thoughts from watching the rest of Mariota's throws from Sunday:

  • Definitely some of Mariota's best moments came when he either had extra time from his line or bought himself some time. I think the best way to get Corey Davis involved in the game plan for the Titans is to keep finding ways to push the ball to him deeper downfield, and that comes with improvement from an offensive line that gives up the highest adjusted sack rate in the league.
  • Seriously though, for as bad as that offensive line rates on the season, Sunday wasn't terrible. Mariota was sacked twice, which is far less than the 11 times the Ravens sacked him.
  • Mariota was finding open receivers a lot, which...could it just be that the Patriots were exceptionally bad defensively on Sunday?

 

The Fantasy Impact

My ultimate opinion on Mariota after this game is basically my same opinion that I had before the game: he has the tools to be a successful quarterback and to be a useful fantasy option, but I want to see it sustained more. Mariota threw a pair of first-quarter touchdowns, but then let the run game settle in more after that, which is good -- you need that run game to work to help the play action work -- but it also still suggests that there's limited upside for Mariota.

I do think that if the improved line play from Sunday keeps up, Mariota can put up top 15 fantasy numbers over the rest of the season. There's no oh no! game on the schedule at this point aside from Washington since Jacksonville's defense has fallen off, but that game being Week 16 is obviously scary news for fantasy owners. because you don't want to start Mariota against them based on the information we have at this point.

If the Titans use Mariota more as they did in the first quarter, getting him moving around in the backfield and taking advantage of pre-snap motion from players like Lewis, then things will be looking up for the former Oregon Duck. But maybe we should wait another week to see if this production is a trend, or just a blip on the radar of an ultimately disappointing season.

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Eugenio Suárez5 hours ago

Eugenio Suarez Hits Go-Ahead Grand Slam Tuesday
A.J. Puk5 hours ago

Earns First Save Of Season Tuesday
Michael King5 hours ago

Fans 11 In Five Shutout Innings Tuesday
Christian Yelich5 hours ago

Hits First Homer Of Season, Steals Base Tuesday
Evan Engram6 hours ago

Sean Payton Excited About Evan Engram In Joker Role
Anthony Bender6 hours ago

Earns First Save Of Season Tuesday
Robert Hassell III6 hours ago

Has Three-Hit Day At Triple-A
Thomas Harrington6 hours ago

Hit Hard In MLB Debut Tuesday
Gunnar Henderson6 hours ago

Hits Solo Homer In Triple-A Rehab Game Tuesday
Marcelo Mayer6 hours ago

Hits First Home Run At Triple-A
Caleb Williams6 hours ago

To Spend More Time Working Under Center
Tom Hoge6 hours ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Zebby Matthews6 hours ago

Twirls Five Shutout Innings At Triple-A
Daniel Jones7 hours ago

Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones To Split First-Team Reps This Offseason
Terry McLaurin7 hours ago

Commanders Interested In Extending Terry McLaurin
Rashee Rice7 hours ago

Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Hurston Waldrep7 hours ago

Fans Seven In Win At Triple-A
Garrett Wilson7 hours ago

Jets Plan To Get Garrett Wilson The Ball "As Much As Possible"
Keaton Mitchell7 hours ago

Ravens Have High Hopes For Keaton Mitchell
Angel Genao7 hours ago

Dealing With Shoulder Injury
Derrick Henry7 hours ago

John Harbaugh Wants Ravens To Extend Derrick Henry
Christian McCaffrey7 hours ago

Is Healthy
Clarke Schmidt8 hours ago

To Return April 15 Or 16
Shane Baz8 hours ago

Strikes Out 10
Mike Tauchman8 hours ago

Begins Rehab Assignment
Wyatt Langford8 hours ago

Launches Another Homer
Nathan Eovaldi9 hours ago

Throws Complete Game Shutout
Michael Petersen9 hours ago

Traded To Atlanta
Matt Fitzpatrick9 hours ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners9 hours ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay9 hours ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Reynaldo López10 hours ago

Reynaldo Lopez To Undergo Right-Shoulder Surgery
Gary Woodland10 hours ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia10 hours ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti10 hours ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
NFL10 hours ago

Tush Push Unlikely To Be Banned For 2025 Season
Xavier Legette10 hours ago

Dave Canales Compares Xavier Legette To DK Metcalf
Brett de Geus10 hours ago

Phillies Claim Brett de Geus Off Waivers From Marlins
New York Giants10 hours ago

Ty Summers Re-Signs With New York
Nick Mears10 hours ago

Beginning Rehab Assignment At Triple-A
Sam Ehlinger11 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Denver
Guerschon Yabusele11 hours ago

Out Against Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns11 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Arizona Cardinals11 hours ago

Calais Campbell Returns To Arizona
Jevon Carter11 hours ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry11 hours ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Julian Phillips11 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Jalen Smith11 hours ago

Available Against Raptors
Lonzo Ball11 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Kevin Huerter11 hours ago

Cleared For Tuesday's Matchup
Josh Giddey12 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Dalano Banton12 hours ago

Starting Against The Hawks
Royce O'Neale12 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Jerami Grant12 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday
Bradley Beal12 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Ron Holland II12 hours ago

Tagged With A One-Game Suspension Tuesday
Anfernee Simons12 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Hawks
Trae Young12 hours ago

Officially Available Tuesday
Marcus Sasser12 hours ago

Suspended For One Game On Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo12 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud12 hours ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Isaiah Stewart12 hours ago

Suspended For Two Games On Tuesday
Jacob Trouba12 hours ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jonathan Kuminga12 hours ago

Ruled Out On Tuesday
Troy Terry12 hours ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Jaylen Brown13 hours ago

Questionable Versus Miami
Jonathan Marchessault13 hours ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere13 hours ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn13 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro13 hours ago

Returns Against Predators
Detroit Lions15 hours ago

Alim McNeill Could Miss Start Of Regular Season
Tennessee Titans15 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Returning To Titans
Washington Commanders16 hours ago

Brandon Coleman Moving To Right Tackle For Commanders
Raheem Blackshear16 hours ago

Returning To Carolina
Kirk Cousins16 hours ago

Not Expected To Attend Voluntary Offseason Training
NFL16 hours ago

NFL Ownership Votes To Move Kickoff Touchbacks To 35-Yard Line
Olli Määttä16 hours ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Greenway16 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys16 hours ago

Cowboys Willing To Make Micah Parsons The Highest-Paid Non-QB
Jordan Staal16 hours ago

Doubtful For Wednesday
Matt Roy16 hours ago

Not Traveling With Team
Josh Norris17 hours ago

Not Traveling With The Team On Tuesday
Brady Tkachuk17 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Jordan Spieth18 hours ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp19 hours ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim19 hours ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood19 hours ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau19 hours ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole19 hours ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Casey DeSmith23 hours ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment23 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Adam Klapka23 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Shootout Victory
Ivan Fedotov23 hours ago

Sharp Against Nashville
Matvei Michkov23 hours ago

Continues Hot Stretch On Monday
Luke Hughes23 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Sam Stevens1 day ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA1 day ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman1 day ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ilya Samsonov2 days ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Tomas Hertl2 days ago

To Sit Out At Least One More Week
Ryan Preece2 days ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR2 days ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland2 days ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno2 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg2 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober2 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres2 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall2 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara2 days ago

Gets Submitted
Ryan Fox2 days ago

Showing Improvement Heading Into The Valero Texas Open
Édgar Cháirez2 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales2 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.2 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira2 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez2 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas2 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez2 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

Scores Top-20 Finish At Texas Children's Houston Open
Jacob Bridgeman2 days ago

Had Some Rest Heading Into The Valero
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones2 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry3 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg5 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno5 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres5 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober5 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer5 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum5 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales5 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.5 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira5 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Calvin Ridley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Draft Sleepers

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings: Overvalued, Undervalued Players (2025)

Dynasty fantasy football rankings constantly shift, especially as we inch closer to the new season and fantasy drafts. Dynasty managers know the importance of finding those underrated players who could be steals in drafts or trades. They also know some players are overhyped due to unsustainable trends or past production. I'll break down two overvalued […]


Justin Fields - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Best Fantasy Football Moves During 2025 NFL Free Agency

It has been a wild offseason so far in the NFL. Plenty of players have switched teams in free agency, and some stars were even traded. Deebo Samuel Sr. was dealt to the Washington Commanders, Geno Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, and DK Metcalf has a new home with the Pittsburgh Steelers. These […]


Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]