Who Should I Start? Jameis Winston or Desmond Ridder

Wednesday, October 23, 1:24 PM

The Cleveland Browns will officially start veteran quarterback Jameis Winston in Week 8 against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens with Deshaun Watson (Achilles) out for the year and Dorian Thompson-Robinson (finger) nursing an injury, according to head coach Kevin Stefanski. With Watson done for the year, the Browns also signed Bailey Zappe to their active roster, and he could serve as Winston's backup if DTR is inactive on Sunday. Winston has appeared in five games in 2024, completing six of 12 pass attempts for 83 yards and a touchdown, which came in the Week 7 loss to the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals. The 30-year-old has plenty of NFL experience, but Thompson-Robinson could eventually take over the starting gig if Winston plays poorly. In an offense lacking explosive weapons now that Amari Cooper is out of town, Winston will be a low-end QB2, at best, in fantasy this weekend.

Monday, October 21, 8:16 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders signed quarterback Desmond Ridder off of the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad on Monday, according to sources. Ridder will give the Raiders extra QB depth after the team placed Aidan O'Connell (thumb) on Injured Reserve after he fractured his right thumb in the Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. O'Connell is expected to miss four to six weeks with his injury. Ridder, the former third-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 2022 out of Cincinnati, did not see the field at all in Arizona and is coming off a 2023 campaign in Atlanta that saw him throw for 2,836 yards with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 64.2% of his pass attempts. For now, he'll serve as Gardner Minshew II's backup with the Raiders. If he's forced into action, Ridder will be a desperation QB2, at best, in superflex formats.