Browns Announcement Could Have Massive Fantasy Impact in 2025 Season

The Cleveland Browns recently announced that Joe Flacco will be their starting quarterback for Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Aug 8, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns don't exactly project to be a fantasy football powerhouse in the 2025 NFL season. Outside of Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku, they don't have any established players who can be solid performers for drafters on a week-to-week basis. Even their stocks are in question with the current state of the offense so up in the air.

The team just named its starting quarterback for the Week 1 opener the other day, dubbing Joe Flacco the QB1 after a highly publicized but ultimately anticlimactic positional battle. Giving him the nod over rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders might not have been the most inspired choice, nor does it justify the Browns' selecting both quarterbacks in the 2025 draft, but it'll likely prove to be the correct one.

Flacco is by far the most experienced option they have under center, going into his 18th season in the NFL. He's practically a statue in the pocket at this point in his career, but he knows how to run an offense, can identify weaknesses in opposing defenses, and has a whole bunch of veteran savvy that Gabriel, Sanders, and even Kenny Pickett will still have to learn as they continue to progress.

Jul 26, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) runs a drill during training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Joe Flacco's QB1 nod should boost Jerry Jeudy's fantasy football stock

One thing that quarterbacks have to learn in the NFL is to trust their playmakers. Of course, the Cleveland Browns will want Joe Flacco or whoever's starting under center for them in a given week to go through his progressions. However, identifying mismatches and pre-snap opportunities is key for a QB who wants to consistently move the ball.

Jerry Jeudy proved that he can be someone who can create openings and win one-on-one matchups for the Browns last season. Despite the revolving door of underwhelming quarterbacks Cleveland deployed in 2024, he still put up 90 catches for 1,229 yards and four touchdowns, making him the 11th-highest scoring wide receiver in fantasy last year.

This year, he could have Joe Flacco throwing him the ball for several weeks. He might not be a long-term solution at quarterback, but he knows how to maximize his playmakers. In 2023, Amari Cooper had a three-game stretch averaging 28.4 full-PPR points between Weeks 14 and 16 with Flacco as his QB.

With Flacco likely to start the first several weeks of the 2025 season for Cleveland and the Browns' severely lacking other established weapons, Jeudy could feast in the first few games of the year. He currently has an average draft position of just 74, 33rd among wide receivers for the upcoming campaign. He could massively outplay his ADP with Joe Flacco at the helm.

All fantasy draft positions and stats via Fantasy Pros on a 17-game, full-PPR basis