Who Should I Start? Deshaun Watson or Joe Burrow
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17.8 | 16.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Deshaun Watson News
Monday, August 24, 6:14 AM
The Cleveland Browns have named veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson as their starter for the 2026 season, according to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz. Watson battled second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders throughout training camp and two-up-and-down preseason games, and with neither able to take a clear grasp on the role, head coach Todd Monken's decision did not come until late August. Watson completed only five of 12 pass attempts in the team's second preseason game on Saturday, adding an interception to his lost fumble from preseason game one, but he showed enough in practice to earn the starting job in what will be his tenth professional season. A three-time Pro Bowler with the Houston Texans, Watson was acquired by the Browns in 2022, where he has gone 9-10 as a starter and most recently missed the entire 2025 season after rupturing his Achilles tendon for the second time. Watson is RotoBaller's QB32, and he will be backed up by Sanders.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26.3 | 9.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Joe Burrow News
Friday, August 28, 5:22 PM
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is one of the best fantasy football weapons when healthy, but injuries have consistently plagued him over the last three years. As a result, fantasy managers might be hesitant to spend a premium pick on the quarterback if he's not a lock to play more than half the season. Burrow has missed at least seven games in two of the last three years. Last season, he missed nine games and ended up finishing as the overall QB29 in fantasy football. When he's healthy, he puts up top-tier numbers with star wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at his disposal, but managers who were burned by him last year may want to avoid the risk of drafting him again this year. The injury risk isn't really baked into his price tag, either. He's being drafted at an ADP of 60.3, which makes him the fourth quarterback off the board. Meanwhile, he's the QB5 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football rankings. Managers should consider waiting a couple of rounds to take a more dependable option like Caleb Williams or Trevor Lawrence. At the very least, managers who draft Burrow should have a solid backup quarterback option in case he misses significant time again.
Deshaun Watson vs. Joe Burrow
Still trying to decide between Watson and Burrow? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Deshaun Watson is projected to score 17.8 points this week while Joe Burrow is projected to score 26.3 points.
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