Who Should I Start? Tua Tagovailoa or Kenny Pickett

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.

Wednesday, August 6, 12:09 PM

Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Kenny Pickett (hamstring) and Dillon Gabriel (hamstring) will not play in the team's preseason opener this Friday against the Carolina Panthers, per Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. In addition, the Browns will hold out veteran Joe Flacco, which means rookie fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders will make the start and share QB duties with the recently-signed Tyler Huntley. Although nothing is official yet, Flacco is now the strong favorite to be named Cleveland's starting QB heading into Week 1 of the regular season. Both Pickett and the rookie Gabriel have been held out of team drills the last few days with hamstring injuries, and the minor ailment has really put a dent in Pickett's chances of winning the QB competition. It's unclear if both Pickett and Gabriel will be ready to go for the second preseason game on Aug. 16 versus the Eagles.