Deshaun Watson Beating Out Shedeur Sanders Is Great News For A Fantasy Football Sleeper But Bad For A Stud

DeShaun Watson beating out Shedeur Sanders for the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback job could have a major impact on the 2026 fantasy football season.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) looks to pass during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In one of the most intriguing quarterback battles of the summer, the Cleveland Browns have named their Week 1 starter. Deshaun Watson has been named their starter, right after he made less-than-favorable comments about the fans in Cleveland.

Deshaun Watson has been named the starting quarterback

📰: https://t.co/xBBsEbXOb5 pic.twitter.com/hrL3C6UUPK

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 24, 2026

It's far from impossible that Watson is just the better quarterback, but it also feels like the fix was in a bit because of the Browns needing to get some value out of Watson's disastrous trade and subsequent contract.

However, we will give Watson the benefit of the doubt because the Browns do have a strong defense, an excellent young running back, and they invested heavily into their pass-catchers in the 2026 NFL Draft. We will take a look at what Watson being named the starting quarterback in Cleveland means for fantasy football owners this season.

Fantasy Impact

QB Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

If nothing else, Watson should have way more upside than Shedeur Sanders, who felt like the favorite to win the starting job for the majority of the offseason. Granted, it's been a long time, but we have seen Watson be a near-elite NFL quarterback during his time with the Houston Texans. It's why the Browns destroyed their franchise by trading for him and giving the most outrageous contract in NFL history.

We have very little confidence that he will be good, let alone great, but we do know it is possible. That's more than we can say for Sanders. While we know we are stretching for some sort of positive spin here, Watson is still just 30 years old, and there is a small chance he can work through his issues and get things figured out.

QB Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns

The case for Sanders is the exact opposite of Watson's. If they were even close in camp, Sanders is at least in just his second season and has plenty of room to improve and get better. Sanders developing feels more likely and a better result for the franchise than Watson trying to get back to where he was in 2020.

Unfortunately, this could be devastating for Sanders' career. If this does turn out to be a career killer, hopefully Watson actually beat him out in camp.

WR KC Concepcion, Cleveland Browns

Watson gives the wide receivers more upside. This applies to all the wideouts; Concepcion is just the best one, so we used him as the default. Through his career, Watson has preferred throwing downfield and doesn't dump the ball off much. While that could change after all the Achilles issues, we can only go by what we know.

TE Harold Fannin Jr, Cleveland Browns

This does scare us a bit when it comes to Fannin. We would have preferred that Sanders was his quarterback. A high-volume tight end better suits Sanders' skill set. Fannin should still be fine, but there is a chance we could drop him a spot or two in our rankings after this news.

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