Fantasy Sports

Joe vs. Dillon vs. Kenny vs. Shedeur vs. Deshaun, oh my! Cracking Cleveland’s Complicated Quarterback Conundrum

Alan Goldsher|
Shedeur Sanders tries to will fellow Cleveland Browns rookie (and fellow potential starter) Dillon Gabriel into throwing a pick-six.
Shedeur Sanders tries to will fellow Cleveland Browns rookie (and fellow potential starter) Dillon Gabriel into throwing a pick-six. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

In this story:

Cleveland Browns

Save for the periodic intermural push-and-shove, NFL training camps are a snoozefest.

Unless there’s a juicy quarterback battle.

That said, preseason fights for the right to start behind center are, generally speaking, non-fights. Sure, once in a while, a lowly-drafted QB—say, Russell Wilson—will steal the gig from a highly-paid vet—say, Matt Flynn—but the majority of the time, the starter coming into camp is the starter coming out of camp.

Things are going to be different, however, at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus in Berea, Ohio, the preseason home of the Cleveland Browns, where we’re going to see a cross-generational quarterback battle for the ages.

So Many Signal Callers, So Little Time

The Browns head to Berea with five, count ‘em, five potential starting field generals in tow, each of whom comes with a very particular set of skills, but each of whom also comes with a very particular set of baggage—and each of whom comes from a notable age bracket.

Here, in alphabetical order, is Cleveland’s five-headed quarterback monster, age signifiers and fantasy football potential included:

Joe Flacco

Birthdate: January 16, 1985

Age: 40

Notable Birth Year Pop Culture Highlight: Live Aid raises $125 million for famine relief in Ethiopia

Fantasy Football Outlook: Unless you’re a Cleveland resident or a Flacco fantasy truther, you might not recall that in his five starts in with the Browns in 2023, January Joe lit it up the tune of 20.3 fantasy points per game, as per Fantasy Data, which, spread out over an entire season, would’ve led the league.

Last season, Flacco wasn’t nearly as effective in Indy, posting a 12.4 fantasy points average, but the Colts’ offense, for the most part, was reliant on running back Jonathan Taylor, so he can be forgiven.

Flacco has an eminently average batch of receivers—it’s Jerry Jeudy and a cast of thousands—and he can’t run—he was born around Live Aid, f’r cryin’ out loud—so he’s a dart-throw streamer. At best.

Reality Football Outlook: Flacco’s not super-mobile, but he knows the game and he’s likely the most accurate thrower on the roster. It wouldn’t be at all shocking if he lands the starting gig.

Dillon Gabriel

Birthdate: December 28, 2000

Age: 24

Notable Birth Year Pop Culture Highlight: Um, Y2K?

Fantasy Football Outlook: Gabriel’s comps run the gamut from Tua Tagovailoa to Jaren Hall, but considering scouts pegged him as a third-rounder, we’ll lean towards Jaren.

That said, he has wheels—his 40-yard-dash has been clocked at 4.46, which would’ve led all quarterbacks at the 2025 NFL Combine—so if he scoops up the starting spot, his rushing prowess would make him a more appealing fantasy option than Flacco.

Reality Football Outlook: To reiterate: Third-rounder. Then again, the aforementioned Russell Wilson was a third-rounder, so…

Kenny Pickett

Birthdate: June 6, 1998

Age: 26

Notable Birth Year Pop Culture Highlight: James Cameron’s epic film Titanic wins 11 Academy Awards.

Fantasy Football Outlook: In his 2022 rookie season in Pittsburgh, Pickett was a reasonable fantasy option, averaging 14.6 points per game, 24th in the league, ahead of an aging Matt Ryan and still-trying-to-find-himself Baker Mayfield.

Last season, to his credit, in his Week 18 start, Pickett dropped 16 fantasy points—admittedly, it was against the Dallas Cowboys second stringers, but still.

Reality Football Outlook: The Browns threw a boatload of free agent money at Pickett—four years for $14 million, with a $7 million signing bonus—so heading into camp, he’s probably the favorite to start. But if he poops the preseason bed, there are plenty of other options. Plenty.

Shedeur Sanders

Birthdate: February 7, 2002

Age: 23

Notable Birth Year Pop Culture Highlight: Beyonce and Justin Timberlake both launch their solo careers.

Fantasy Football Outlook: Up until the 2025 NFL Draft, I thought Sanders would be a solid, periodically spectacular professional quarterback. Once every scout in the league passed on him on multiple occasions, though, it dawned on me that I was probably wrong.

Sanders might be worth snatching up at the tail end of your dynasty league draft. But probably not.

Reality Football Outlook: I mean, it’s possible he crushes it at training camp. But there are only so many snaps to go around, and most of them won’t go to a fifth-rounder.

Deshaun Watson

Birthdate: September 14, 1995

Age: 29

Notable Birth Year Pop Culture Highlight: Sony drops the first PlayStation.

Fantasy Football Outlook: There was a point in his career when Watson was a fantasy football beast—but then, um, stuff happened, and he wasn’t. In the last four games he started in 2024, his fantasy points average was a gnarly 11.05.

Watson might be washed, so even if he somehow wins the starting spot, he can be avoided.

Reality Football Outlook: Watson’s 2025 cap hit is just south of $36 million, so Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski will likely give him plenty of rope—even though he probably doesn’t deserve it.

Published | Modified
Alan Goldsher
ALAN GOLDSHER

Alan Goldsher has written about sports for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Playboy, NFL.com, and NBA.com, and he’s the creator of the Chicago Sports Stuff Substack. He’s the bestselling author of 15 books, and the founder/CEO of Gold Note Records. Alan lives in Chicago, where he writes, makes music, and consumes and creates way too much Bears content. You can visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com and http://x.com/AlanGoldsher.

Home/NFL