Deshaun Watson · Marcus Mariota · 2026 week 3

Deshaun Watson or Marcus Mariota?

Wondering who you should start this week — Deshaun Watson or Marcus Mariota? The start/sit call and the numbers behind it are below, plus who wins a straight-up trade. Rebuilt nightly.

Start Deshaun Watson — barelyThis one is a coin flip — the projections are within 0.2 points. The matchup leans Deshaun Watson (CAR allow the 10th-most QB points), but you can defend either call.

Player	Wk 3	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Deshaun Watson START	vs CAR	13.4	10th	17.4	27	healthy
Marcus Mariota	vs SEA	13.2	28th · tough	8.7	31	healthy

QBs vs CAR recently: Caleb Williams 37.3 pts (W1) · Cooper Rush 1.4 pts (W2).

QBs vs SEA recently: Drake Maye 12.8 pts (W1) · Jacoby Brissett 7.5 pts (W2).

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Marcus Mariota carries the higher trade value — 31 against 27 (a 13% gap). In a one-for-one, the side receiving Marcus Mariota gets the most. Momentum: Deshaun Watson -8 and Marcus Mariota +31 over the last 30 days.

Open in Start/Sit (any scoring) Open in the Trade Analyzer

More QB decisions

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All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.