Who Should I Start? Teddy Bridgewater or Dillon Gabriel

Saturday, August 23, 6:21 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (illness) won't play in Saturday's preseason finale versus the Buffalo Bills. The signal-caller appeared in one game this preseason, throwing for 85 yards and two touchdowns off 6-for-11 passing in the meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bridgewater's absence should mean more work for Kyle Trask and rookie Connor Bazelak. However, as long as Baker Mayfield is healthy and on the field, the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart will remain mostly irrelevant for fantasy purposes.

Saturday, August 30, 7:40 PM

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel has "gained a lot of trust from the coaching staff just in terms of how he worked, and we feel good about it," assistant general manager Glenn Cook said. After setting a college football record with 63 starts over six seasons divided among Central Florida, Oklahoma, and Oregon, the third-round pick impressed the Browns' coaches enough to beat out fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders and now-Las Vegas Raider Kenny Pickett for the backup QB job. The new role doesn't faze Gabriel, who told Zac Jackson of The Athletic: "It's not daunting. I have ultimate confidence in myself and who I am." Gabriel looked decent in two preseason games, going 25-for-37 for 272 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him starting at some point in 2025. The only real roadblock is 40-year-old starter Joe Flacco, a stopgap who has played in nine or fewer games in seven straight seasons.