Who Should I Start? Deshaun Watson or Lamar Jackson

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 13, 10:42 AM

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson finally gave fantasy managers a bit of a bounce back against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14. He finished as the QB6 after failing to finish any better than the QB14 in each of the four weeks before that. Jackson even had a rushing touchdown last week, which was his first score on the ground since Week 1. In Week 15, he'll take on the Cincinnati Bengals again, after a huge disappointment against them in Week 13. The Bengals' defense still ranks 30th against opposing quarterbacks in fantasy, and they're even 30th over the last two weeks despite holding Jackson to under double-digit fantasy points. Jackson's talent is undeniable, but a weak offensive line and seemingly some injury issues have hampered his ceiling. With that being said, he still has mid-level QB1 potential against a weak defense.