Who Should I Start? Aaron Rodgers or Dillon Gabriel

Wednesday, June 11, 5:27 PM

Theoretically, The Athletic's Mike DeFabo writes that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers won't have as much pressure to win games with his right arm alone on a team that has the league's highest-paid defense and features a run-heavy offense that will limit his exposure. Pittsburgh pretty much did the same last year with Russell Wilson, and although they made the playoffs, they scored just 14.2 points per game in their final five games. There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of the 41-year-old signal-caller, who now lacks mobility after tearing his Achilles in 2023. Rodgers was the NFL's worst QB against the blitz in 2024 and has thrown double-digit interceptions in his last two full seasons. His completion percentage (63%) was the fourth-lowest of any season in which he played at least 16 games. In a run-first offense, Rodgers will be a low-end QB2 in fantasy with minimal upside.

Wednesday, June 11, 12:32 PM

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel was first up in team drills at mandatory minicamp for the second straight day on Wednesday and is going up against the first-team defense, according to The Chronicle Telegram's Scott Petrak. Fantasy managers shouldn't read too much into the Browns QB reps during offseason workouts, as head coach Kevin Stefanski said that rookies Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders will probably require more reps as they get acclimated to the NFL game. The Browns are conducting an open competition at QB, but the expectation is that it will come down to either veteran Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett. Gabriel, 24, stands at 5-foot-11, 205 pounds and could open the year as the No. 3 ahead of Sanders. He has plenty of experience playing for three different teams in college in addition to a strong arm and a good feel in the pocket. He's strictly a dynasty/keeper stash in 2025.