Marcus Mariota’s Fantasy Football ADP makes him a top-notch sleeper

Tennessee Titans Quarterback Marcus Mariota is considered a fantasy football sleeper capable of rising based on his current ADP.

Is Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota someone you should target in your fantasy football league draft this year? Probably not, but it’s not necessarily because you don’t want him on your team.

The truth is, in more leagues than not, he’ll go undrafted, and you can claim him for free. This makes him a top-notch fantasy football sleeper candidate in 2019 with the arrow pointing up for the Oregon product.

In fantasy, you don’t have to be a good “real life” NFL quarterback to succeed. There are many other intangibles—rushing ability for one— that can help get the job done.

In reference to Mariota, Pro Football Focus thinks he could be a good option among QBs that cost you little to nothing. Here’s what they had to say:

"If you want a deeper dive than Allen and Trubisky with sneaky upside, can I offer Mariota? It’s easy to forget now, but Mariota was QB11 in 2016 in only 15 games, putting up 26 touchdowns against only 9 interceptions. He now has the best cast of receivers he’s ever had in his career, with Adam Humphries, A.J. Brown and a back-from-injury Delanie Walker joining Corey Davis and Dion Lewis. The coaches have said the team wants to go more run-heavy than it has been in the past, but Derrick Henry hardly has the longest track record of being any kind of bell cow — and even with that, Mariota has the third-highest PFF rushing grade among all quarterbacks (min. 40 attempts) the last two years. Obviously, he carries significant risk — if for nothing else health reasons — but among quarterbacks who are basically free in drafts, he has some of the best upside."

Pro Football Focus sees Mariota as a QB able to jump from tier four to tier three. According to their grading system, QBs in tier four have a projected fantasy output of QB21 or higher. Whereas in tier three, QBs are expected to be in the 11-20 range.

It’s a pretty safe “shot in the dark” for PFF to see if a prediction like this might stick to the wall, but Mariota may turn it around in 2019.

He has the talent and even one of the aforementioned essential characteristics that build a great fantasy QB: wheels.

Bulking up during the offseason should help Mariota avoid injury, and a revamped offensive line should improve upon the 42 sacks the Titans quarterback suffered last season. The team has also spoken to him about getting rid of the ball more often in order to avoid big hits and injury.

What makes Mariota more intriguing is the fact that his receiving corps. is the best he’s ever had during his four-year career, as PFF noted.

Along with No. 1 wideout Corey Davis and the return of tight end Delanie Walker, the Titans added slot receiver Adam Humphries in free agency and drafted wideout A.J. Brown in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

When streaming QBs, there are always options, but most of the time, none that can deliver a possible QB1 finish from week to week. Marcus Mariota gives you that upside, and if he can stay healthy and avoid hits in the run game, he could be electric in fantasy and real life.