Marcus Mariota vs. Vikings: Stats, Reaction and Updated 2015 Fantasy Advice

Marcus Mariota only appeared in one drive during the Tennessee Titans' final game of the preseason, but the former Heisman Trophy winner made it count as the Titans took a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.

You can view Mariota's stats from that drive below:

	Comp./Att.	Yards	TD	INT	QB Rating
Week 3	2/3	74	1	0	149.3

Recap and Reaction

Before the game, Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt made sure to leave open the possibility as to whether Mariota would start Thursday night.   

"I think there's great value for our players to prepare like they're playing," said Whisenhunt on Monday, per Jason Wolf of the Tennessean. "I think you defeat the purpose of what you're trying to accomplish if you tell somebody he's not playing in the game."

While Mariota did participate, he was on the field for a sum total of four plays. The coaching staff wasn't about to put the rookie signal-caller at an increased risk of injury this close to the regular season.

Mariota opened the drive with a 15-yard pass to tight end Delanie Walker. On a 3rd-and-5 three plays later, Mariota hit Harry Douglas for a 59-yard touchdown, per the NFL:

The throw itself wasn't special, but you have to like the way Mariota read the entire field and settled for a shorter throw.

Beyond just Mariota, the Associated Press' Teresa Walker and the Tennessean's John Glennon were pleased with the Titans offense as a whole on the quick score:

That touchdown pass served to end Mariota's preseason, leading the team to post his numbers from the past four weeks:

Reading too much into preseason performance is never advisable, but those stats at least represent a positive sign for the 21-year-old in his first season. He seems to be settling into the role well and isn't trying to do too much in the pocket.

SB Nation's Music City Miracles also highlighted another key aspect of Mariota's preseason:

Many wondered how Mariota would handle a pro-style offense after playing in the Oregon Ducks' uptempo spread offense, and it hasn't been an issue so far.

All in all, Mariota is giving Titans fans plenty of reasons to head into the regular season with optimism.

Fantasy Outlook

In general, only in deeper leagues should you consider drafting a rookie quarterback to be your fantasy starter. For the most part, even the best rookie QB offers little more than backup value for your team. Here are the highest-scoring rookies from the last six years, according to NFL.com:

Season	Player	Team	Yards	TD	INT	Fantasy Points (Rank)
2009	Mark Sanchez	New York Jets	2,444	12	20	132.36 (20th)
2010	Sam Bradford	St. Louis Rams	3,512	18	15	190.78 (19th)
2011	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers	4,051	21	17	369.34 (3rd)
2012	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts	4,374	23	18	276.46 (9th)
2013	Geno Smith	New York Jets	3,046	12	21	193.74 (20th)
2014	Derek Carr	Oakland Raiders	3,270	21	12	192.00 (20th)

Andrew Luck is a once-in-a-generation talent whose team was largely awful the year before because of Peyton Manning's injury. Cam Newton, meanwhile, was a dual-threat force of nature in his rookie year.

Neither situation really applies to Mariota.

The efficiency he showed at Oregon is certainly encouraging in terms of his fantasy potential. Unlike Jameis Winston, Mariota didn't have a tendency to force throws into nonexistent windows last year, which should limit his turnovers in 2015.

Still, the Titans' passing game remains a work in progress. Walker, Douglas and Kendall Wright are all good targets, but it's hard seeing how that trio will give Mariota the chance to put up incredible stats this year.

Mariota is potentially valuable in keeper leagues, but if you're in a standard 12-team league, target him strictly as a QB2. Also, look at Mariota as a cost-effective option in daily fantasy leagues when the Titans are matched up against the right opponent.