Who Should I Start? Deshaun Watson or C.J. Stroud

Saturday, December 6, 9:14 PM

The Cleveland Browns are planning to keep quarterback Deshaun Watson (Achilles) on their roster next season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. While Watson is considered unlikely to play this season as he continues to recover from a torn Achilles that required multiple surgeries, the team has expressed interest in keeping him on the roster, noting that the 30-year-old's veteran presence is valuable for their pair of rookie quarterbacks in Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. Another big reason Watson is expected to return is due to the fact that the Browns would have to take on a dead salary of close to $135 million if they released him before June 1 and a $53 million cap charge if he was designated as a post-June 1 cap casualty. The record for dead-cap money was set by the Denver Broncos with quarterback Russell Wilson at $85 million, which they split into two years, but releasing Watson would cost the Browns significantly more. With Watson set to return in 2026, he's expected to compete with Sanders and Gabriel for Cleveland's starting gig.

Saturday, December 6, 7:45 AM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud got a big win over the Colts in his return from a concussion last week, and he'll be in another huge matchup this week against the tough Chiefs' defense on Sunday Night Football. Stroud completed 22 of 35 passes for 276 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in last week's win, but looked very sharp overall, even though his fantasy numbers weren't huge. One encouraging sign is that he did have 35 pass attempts, continuing the team's recent trend of throwing the ball more during their current winning streak. If that trend continues again this week, Stroud has good upside if he can convert touchdowns. He's the No. 21 QB in RotoBaller's Week 14 rankings, making him a low-end QB2 that does bring potential upside despite his tough primetime matchup.