Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or Tua Tagovailoa

Tuesday, August 5, 6:22 PM

Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco will not play in the team's preseason opener on Friday against the Carolina Panthers, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Injured QBs Kenny Pickett (hamstring) and Dillon Gabriel (hamstring) also will not play, leaving fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders to get the start despite the fact that he hasn't taken a single rep with the first-team offense during training camp. Tyler Huntley, who was signed on Tuesday, will back up Sanders on Friday night. The 40-year-old Flacco is a strong favorite to win the QB competition this summer, especially since Pickett hasn't been able to participate in team drills of late. Flacco made some noise in 2023 and helped lead the Browns to the playoffs, but the veteran gunslinger will have a short leash as the starter and will have little fantasy upside as a low-end QB2.

Friday, July 11, 7:16 PM

While it's probably unlikely, The Athletic's Jim Ayello points out there's a chance that the 2025 season is quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's last year with the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins aren't in a pretty salary-cap situation moving forward, so if they have a five- or six-win season this year, it's possible that ownership decides it's time for a hard reset. It's quite possible that Miami's decision-makers going into next year think that Tua's concussion history and limitations as a pocket passer don't make him an ideal franchise signal-caller. The former first-rounder's value, both in fantasy and real life, all depend on his health and what he can produce in 2025. If the Dolphins were to cut Tagovailoa after this year, it would come with a hefty $79 million dead-cap hit. There's bounce-back potential for Tua and the Dolphins offense, but fantasy managers shouldn't be taking him as anything more than a QB2 with upside.