Who Should I Start? Diontae Johnson or Devaughn Vele

Tuesday, June 24, 2:10 PM

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Diontae Johnson believes veteran quarterback Kenny Pickett will be the team's starting quarterback following the competition against Joe Flacco and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Pickett spent last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, winning his first Super Bowl ring as Jalen Hurts' backup. The 2022 first-round pick out of Pitt struggled to make a positive impact with the Pittsburgh Steelers, throwing for 4,474 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 25 career games. He looked competent in limited action with the Eagles, throwing for 291 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. However, that was behind the league's best offensive line and with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and Saquon Barkley to throw the ball to. If Pickett wins the starting job in Cleveland, he likely won't offer much fantasy upside and can be ignored in single-QB formats to start the new campaign. If he struggles early, the team could opt to move to Joe Flacco or one of the first-year signal callers.

Saturday, June 7, 1:10 PM

The Denver Post's Troy Renck writes that Denver Broncos second-year wide receiver Devaughn Vele has been turning heads during voluntary organized team activities this offseason and looks like he could be the future replacement for Courtland Sutton. The 27-year-old was a seventh-round pick (235th overall) last year out of Utah but served as the team's slot receiver in his first year in the NFL for most of 2024, finishing with 41 receptions on 55 targets for 475 yards and three touchdowns in 13 regular-season games (seven starts). Vele is old for a second-year wideout, but if he continues to impress the coaching staff, he could continue to have a big role in Year 2 alongside Sutton and Marvin Mims Jr., but he's going to have to fight off Troy Franklin and rookie Pat Bryant. The Broncos also added tight end Evan Engram, who could very well be the No. 2 receiving target for quarterback Bo Nix.