Who Should I Start? Sean Mannion or Deshaun Watson

Monday, December 18, 6:04 PM

The Seattle Seahawks elevated quarterback Sean Mannion from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster on Monday, a sign that starter Geno Smith (groin) will be inactive on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. Smith was listed as questionable on the team's final Week 15 injury report with a groin injury and was considered a long shot on Monday morning to play. Mannion would give the Seahawks more QB depth behind Drew Lock, who is trending toward making his second straight start with Smith hurting. Fantasy managers that rolled the dice on Smith are probably going to have to pick up and start Lock unless they have another backup signal-caller already on their roster. Lock could actually be a decent emergency streaming option against an Eagles defense that has been generous to opposing QBs and receivers. They're also missing star cornerback Darius Slay (knee).

Saturday, December 6, 9:14 PM

The Cleveland Browns are planning to keep quarterback Deshaun Watson (Achilles) on their roster next season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. While Watson is considered unlikely to play this season as he continues to recover from a torn Achilles that required multiple surgeries, the team has expressed interest in keeping him on the roster, noting that the 30-year-old's veteran presence is valuable for their pair of rookie quarterbacks in Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. Another big reason Watson is expected to return is due to the fact that the Browns would have to take on a dead salary of close to $135 million if they released him before June 1 and a $53 million cap charge if he was designated as a post-June 1 cap casualty. The record for dead-cap money was set by the Denver Broncos with quarterback Russell Wilson at $85 million, which they split into two years, but releasing Watson would cost the Browns significantly more. With Watson set to return in 2026, he's expected to compete with Sanders and Gabriel for Cleveland's starting gig.