Jayden Daniels Dislocates Elbow Again — Mariota Starts Week 3 vs Seahawks
Daniels dislocated his left elbow Sunday and has no return timetable. Marcus Mariota draws the Week 3 start against the 12-0 defending champs.
No timetable, dislocated elbow, and he's consulting multiple experts.
- Daniels dislocated same left elbow he hurt last season
- No return timetable; consulting multiple experts
- Mariota starts Week 3 vs Seahawks (12-game win streak)
- Daniels missed 10 games in 2025 due to injury
- Mariota as Commander: 15 TD, 7 INT, 64.1% completions
The nightmare scenario for Jayden Daniels managers just happened again. The Commanders quarterback dislocated his left elbow late in the first half of Sunday's loss to Dallas, underwent imaging Monday, and will now get opinions from multiple experts over the next few days. Coach Dan Quinn confirmed there's no timetable for a return — and that Marcus Mariota starts Week 3 against the Seahawks.
It's the same elbow Daniels dislocated last season, which makes the alarm bells louder. He was actually humming before it happened: 11 of 17 for 96 yards and a touchdown, plus 69 rushing yards on seven carries. The injury came on a fluke play — a teammate stepped on him and he braced his fall with his left arm, which bent the wrong way. He was carted off with an air cast.
Another Lost Stretch
This is the recurring theme with Daniels since his electric 2024 rookie year, when he dragged Washington to its first NFC Championship game appearance since 1991. He missed 10 games last season with injuries. On our board he sat at QB35 (#160 overall) heading into this week, and he was already trending slightly below his own production — his last five games came in at 1.5 fantasy points under his season average. Now he's shelved indefinitely.
Quinn said the team is gutted for Daniels and plans to rally hard around Mariota until he's back. That's the phrase managers should focus on: 'until he's back' with no date attached. When you're consulting multiple specialists about a re-dislocated joint, you're not planning a quick return.
What Mariota Brings
Mariota is a capable NFL backup and no stranger to the moment — a former No. 2 overall pick himself who won a playoff game with the Titans back in 2017. As a Commander since 2024 he's thrown 15 touchdowns against 7 interceptions with a 64.1% completion rate, and he went 11 of 16 for 111 yards and a score in relief Sunday. Last season (11 games) he put up 126 PPR points, and he adds a little rushing juice with 297 rush yards on the year.
The catch: his Week 3 assignment is brutal. Seattle has won 12 straight dating back to last season and enters as the defending Super Bowl champs. That's a nasty first standalone start for streaming purposes.
Fantasy bottom line: Daniels is a firm SIT and a stash-if-you-have-a-spot, drop-if-you're-thin situation — no timetable plus a repeat dislocation is a red flag, and the injured-reserve possibility is real. Mariota is a desperation-only, deep-two-QB-league dart against Seattle this week; wait and see how the offense looks before trusting him as a genuine streamer. If you rostered Daniels as your QB1, you need a body now, not next week.
