Who Should I Start? Diontae Johnson or Jayden Reed

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.

Monday, July 28, 3:37 PM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed worked with the starters in two-WR sets during practice on Monday, according to Andy Herman of the Pack-A-Day podcast. That's a rarity for Reed, who totaled a meager 33 snaps in two-receiver sets during his first two seasons in the league. Despite somewhat limited usage, the former second-round pick from Michigan State still averaged around 60 catches, 85 targets, 825 yards, and seven touchdowns from 2023-24. While Reed does have issues with drops (he had 10 last year), he'd have significant upside if he were to accrue more snaps opposite Romeo Doubs. One potential problem for Reed is that the role may go to Matthew Golden, Green Bay's first-round pick in this year's draft.