Who Should I Start? Tua Tagovailoa or Dillon Gabriel

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.

Sunday, August 3, 2:54 PM

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been "wildly down and wildly inaccurate in recent days," according to Zac Jackson of The Athletic. Jackson notes that Gabriel still gets reps ahead of fellow rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders but "has done nothing to make anyone observing believe he's ready to be trusted as a No. 2 quarterback." A third-round pick out of Oregon, Gabriel appears to be significantly behind veteran Joe Flacco, who is the reported favorite to win the starting quarterback job in Cleveland out of camp. It seems like both Gabriel and Sanders are likely also behind Kenny Pickett (hamstring), who is recovering from a hamstring injury but is the favorite to win the backup job. Based on this report, Gabriel should not be expected to push for playing time early in his rookie season.