Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or Deshaun Watson

Friday, October 10, 10:01 AM

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said on Wednesday that veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, whom the team acquired in a trade from the division-rival Cleveland Browns, will make his debut and start on Sunday at the Green Bay Packers in Week 6. This will now be the second time this season Flacco will go up against this Packer defense, but this time with a different team in Ohio. For the most part, Flacco has not played well enough in 2025 to be rostered in any league formats, averaging 7.9 fantasy points per game, and has no rushing upside; however, the playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, primarily Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, are much more explosive and proven in the NFL than the pass-catchers Flacco was throwing to for the Browns. Regardless, the offensive line for the Bengals is a mess, and Flacco is nothing more than a stash in superflex or two-quarterback leagues for now.

Wednesday, October 8, 12:29 PM

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has declined to say if he foresees quarterback Deshaun Watson (Achilles) playing this year, according to Scott Petrak of Browns Zone. Stefanski added that Watson is working hard in his rehab and has been in the meeting rooms with the rest of the team. Watson suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 7 of last year and then re-tore his Achilles later on. The 30-year-old is around eight months removed from his surgery and isn't close to retaking the field. He's currently on the Physically Unable to Perform list and will not return to the practice field ahead of the team's Week 6 divisional tilt against the Pittsburgh Steelers. For now, Cleveland is prepared to move forward with rookie QB Dillon Gabriel, with rookie Shedeur Sanders potentially moving into the QB2 role after the team traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals this week.