Who Should I Start? Deshaun Watson or Joe Burrow
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Deshaun Watson News
Thursday, June 18, 11:24 AM
The Athletic's Zac Jackson writes that Cleveland Browns new head coach Todd Monken would have liked to have a starter already named going into training camp in late July, but he "wants and needs to see more" from both quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders this summer. Ultimately, Monken said he will play "whoever gives us the best chance to score, and I won't know that until we play." He wants to see more "consistency and confidence" from both Watson and Sanders in training camp than what he saw this spring. Jackson adds that it's safe to say that Watson "looked like the same player in his return from a year and a half away that he was before his two Achilles tendon injuries." Watson is healthy and threw downfield occasionally with confidence, but he "lacked consistency and too often threw into traffic." Jackson doesn't think there is much reason to want Watson to play unless he's "clearly their best option." The 30-year-old Watson has been a Pro Bowler three times (all before he came to Cleveland), but it appears he might have to thoroughly outplay Sanders to win the starting gig going into Week 1. Either way, this QB situation is one to ignore for fantasy managers, if at all possible. Whoever wins the starting job this summer probably will have a very short leash to begin the regular season.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Joe Burrow News
Thursday, June 25, 8:32 AM
As the Cincinnati Bengals and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher figure out how to become more explosive on offense in 2026, they are experimenting with using quarterback Joe Burrow more under center, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. The top-five teams in usage of under-center and under-center play action in 2025 all finished in the top quarter of the league in explosive-play rate. Burrow has produced just one explosive completion while using under-center play action in the last three seasons. The 29-year-old three-time Pro Bowler has been working on under-center play-action drops during the offseason program, and he's made it clear that he's on board with tinkering in this realm. Cincy posted 0.16 EPA per play on plays with Burrow, and receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the field the last two years, which was the best in the NFL by a wide margin. But the Bengals ranked 22nd in explosive-play rate in 2025, a fourth straight season in the bottom third of the league. Burrow played in a career-low eight games last year due to injury after passing for a league-high 4,918 yards and league-high 43 touchdowns in 2024. A bounce-back seems inevitable if he can stay on the field in 2026, especially if the Bengals offense can find more explosive plays. RotoBaller has Burrow ranked as the No. 5 fantasy QB.
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 0.0 points this week while Joe Burrow is projected to score 0.0 points.
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