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    Monken: Watson ‘functioned at a high level’

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    Browns coach Todd Monken said Deshaun Watson “functioned at a high level” against the Bears in their preseason opener.

    We’d normally skip right past this, but it’s a notable quote given the open competition for the starting quarterback job. It would seem to imply that Watson is in the lead. “It was so cool to watch him play. I get all of the frustration by fans, himself (with the past), but for him to come back and work like he did is an unbelievable credit to him,” Monken said. It sounds like Monken will continue the competition through the second week of the preseason, but there’s already a lean here.
Young drops dime to McMillan for perfect touchdown
Bryce Young takes advantage of his time in the pocket and drops a perfect pass to Tetairoa McMillan, who scores to extend the Panthers’ lead against the Lions on Sunday Night Football.

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  • CLE Quarterback #4
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    Watson made very few mistakes through the air against a solid Pittsburgh defense, although a third quarter fumble on a scramble attempt and a fourth quarter interception on tipped pass at the line of scrimmage allowed the Steelers the runway to make the game interesting late. Watson also badly missed a wide open Harold Fannin on a third down play that would have allowed the Browns to ice the game, instead giving the ball back to Aaron Rodgers with under four minutes to play while up eight points. Rodgers would work his late-game magic to knot the game at 24 before Watson drove the Browns into field goal range to set up the go-ahead kick with 10 seconds on the clock. Watson had a 20-yard carry wiped from his ledger due to penalty that would have padded his counting stats further. The two turnovers notwithstanding, Watson played a largely clean game that saw the Browns improve to 3-1, currently alone atop the AFC North, pending the outcomes of the Ravens and Bengals games Sunday. The Browns turn the page to a Week 5 meeting with the Jets, where Watson will remain a surprising high-end QB2 in fantasy circles.
  • CLE Quarterback #4
    Per Fowler, sources around the league say Watson could get six total starts this year. The bar is low in Cleveland. Watson has not yet thrown for 240 yards in a game and has just five passing touchdowns this year. He is a QB2 against the Steelers tonight.
  • CLE Quarterback #4
    The multi-score start was Watson’s second straight, though his yards per attempt fell precipitously for the second consecutive week. He’s now gone from 9.3 YPA in Week 1 to 7.9 to 4.8. Absolutely everything was underneath this afternoon, though we suppose the effort did come in a win. Watson found Harold Fannin for seven catches and a pair of scores after hitting the tight end seven total times between Weeks 1 and 2. The flip side was that Watson had just one completion longer than 20 yards, a 28-yard strike to Denzel Boston. Watson also missed a snap late after taking a big hit, but ended up returning ahead of what proved to be the game-winning field goal. Watson hasn’t been quite as bad as feared, but he’s hardly silencing the critics, including Browns fans who occasionally booed Sunday. The Steelers will be a tough short-week matchup this Thursday. Watson won’t be in the superflex mix for that one.
  • CLE Quarterback #4
    Watson was far more accurate than he was in Week 1’s meltdown loss to the Jaguars. He was 6.5 percent over his expected completion rate and once again hit rookie WR Denzel Boston for a long touchdown. Watson navigated the pocket well and was passably accurate on short-area throws (his 3.6 aDOT is as low as it gets for a full game’s work). His Week 2 play all but guarantees he’ll hang on to the Browns’ starting QB gig for at least a few more weeks before Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel get another shot under center. Watson will have superflex appeal in Week 3 against a gettable Carolina defense.
  • CLE Quarterback #2
    Schefter said it “feels like Shedeur’s time is coming” if Watson bombs in the Browns’ Week 2 matchup with the Bucs following his Week 1 collapse against Jacksonville. Sanders, in that scenario, would be under center for the Browns’ home opener against the Panthers in Week 3. Sanders, who is slightly more accurate than Watson in the short and intermediate areas, would be an upgrade for Harold Fannin and KC Concepcion. He would likely be a downgrade for downfield air yards eater Denzel Boston.
  • CLE Quarterback #4
    The Browns open the year with a two-game road trip before returning to Cleveland for their home opener next week. Watson was a disaster in Week 1, turning the ball over twice while throwing for 205 yards and one score. Another showing like that versus the Bucs this week and he could be sent to the bench. Shedeur Sanders would then draw the start against Carolina in Week 3. It’s unlikely the Browns offense turns things around under Sanders, but things truly cannot get worse than they are right now.
  • CLE Quarterback #4
    Monken had been a little more evasive on the issue in his post-game interview after Week 1’s shellacking. It appears the Browns would like to touch the hot stove at least one more time against the Buccaneers. Expectations for all Browns pass-catchers and runners can be lowered even against a middling Bucs defense. Monken added “there were some really good things on film.”
  • CLE Quarterback #4
    Watson added six carries for 38 yards on the ground. The Browns had a lethargic offense for the most part in Week 1, plagued by several delay-of-games and a variety of other penalties. The box score reads just one turnover for Watson, but there were many other opportunities. His interception occurred in Jaguars territory on the Browns’ first drive of the game. Watson then threw an interception that was dropped on the second drive, and fumbled twice; one was recovered by the Browns and he was just barely ruled down on the second. The Browns were finally able to score a touchdown on a 46-yard throw from Watson to rookie Denzel Boston with the game out of reach in the fourth quarter. The Browns offense with Watson at the helm is ultimately turnover-prone and lethargic but has room for fantasy production in negative game script situations. Watson is a fantasy QB3 heading into Week 2 against the Buccaneers.
  • CLE Quarterback #4
    Monken has stressed explosive plays as an important part of the Cleveland offense headed into the 2026 regular season. “Obviously having explosive players helps that,” Monken said. “Being able to scheme it up against certain looks and then being able to execute because your protection has to hold up when you get those opportunities. I’m confident in Deshaun and our ability to push the ball down the field, otherwise we wouldn’t be starting him.” That confidence might be misplaced considering Watson completed just 1-of-6 attempts for 20 yards and an interception on downfield passes in the preseason and was among the league’s worst deep ball passers in 2024, when he threw downfield on a career-low 27 percent of his attempts. Once an elite deep ball thrower, Watson will look to regain form coming off two torn Achilles, entering his age-30 season. Perhaps rookie WR Denzel Boston will be a boon for Watson’s downfield game in 2026.
  • CLE Quarterback #4
    This is coming from multiple reports, per Schultz. We’ll eventually get word from head coach Todd Monken on the decision, but it sounds like Watson, who was the favorite to win the battle entering training camp, will get the first crack at the starting job. Watson completed 16-of-27 passes for no touchdowns and one interception in his two preseason appearances, and struggled in last week’s outing against the Bills while playing with backups. Despite being booed off the field after a disappointing performance in front of a home crowd, the 30-year-old vet, who is in the final year of a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract, will get the chance to show he can lead the Browns in 2026. Watson shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a low-end QB2 for fantasy purposes, but he has some exciting offensive weapons to throw to in Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion, and Harold Fannin.

Rotoworld

  • MIA Running Back #5
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    Jaylen Wright rushed five times for seven yards in the Dolphins’ Week 4 loss to the Vikings.

    The best thing we can say about Wright’s day is that he got the start. The Dolphins kept him out there for the first drive, giving him a chance to keep his position, but he was unable to do so. Ollie Gordon outplayed him as the game progressed, rushing nine times for 100 yards and one touchdown, while Wright was relegated to unproductive offensive snaps and five kick returns for 97 yards. Wright is a zero-floor FLEX against the Bengals next week.
  • MIA Running Back #0
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    Ollie Gordon rushed nine times for 100 yards and one touchdown in the Dolphins’ Week 5 loss to the Vikings.

    Gordon entered the game on the Dolphins’ second drive, generating one yard and two receptions on three touches during that possession. Things improved from there. After letting nominal starting RB Jaylen Wright and Gordon each play their own drives, the Dolphins eventually began rotating them in and out until Gordon separated on the first drive after halftime. Gordon notched three carries in a row, breaking off a 53-yarder on the second one by navigating traffic and making his way to the left sideline, shedding a jersey grab along the way. On the seventh drive, he had what could have been a breakaway touchdown run blown dead by officials, who thought Gordon was down by contact as he stumbled through the box. It was a close call. He then touched the ball on two-of-four plays on the ensuing drive, including a touchdown run up the middle from 12 yards out, in which Gordon acrobatically vaulted over a downed lineman. Tentatively expect Gordon to be the Dolphins’ starter in Week 5 against the Bengals and treat him as an RB2/FLEX.
  • FA Wide Receiver #10
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    The Athletic’s Mike Silver reports that the Chiefs have already reached out to Tyreek Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

    Less than an hour ago, Silver reported that he spoke to Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones, among other Chiefs players. Everyone was reportedly into the idea of signing Hill whenever the veteran wide receiver who is currently eyeing a November return from his season-ending knee injury. With Rashee Rice (hamstring) and Tyquan Thornton (ankle) suffering injuries today, the Chiefs need help in the wide receiver corps.
  • DEN Running Back #28
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    Tyler Badie had two rushes for seven yards in the Broncos’ Week 4 loss to the 49ers, adding two catches for 32 yards.

    Badie was again the team’s RB3 behind JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Harvey led the backfield with ten catches on ten targets while Dobbins had a team-leading 11 carries. Badie would be somewhat interesting in deeper leagues if Harvey were to miss more time this season.
  • MIA Wide Receiver #21
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    Kevin Coleman caught 1-of-4 targets for three yards in the Dolphins’ Week 4 loss to the Vikings.

    This is Coleman’s second consecutive week catching 1-of-4 targets for three yards. He earned two targets on the second drive, which was encouraging. He should have had a double-digit gain on the fifth drive, but Malik Willis’ off-target throw was far too low. Willis targeted him again on the sixth drive, but the pass clanged off Coleman’s hands as he slid toward the sideline in the end zone. He does not need to be rostered in 12-team formats, but he is worth keeping an eye on for later in the year.
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    Evan Engram caught 1-of-5 targets for six yards in the Broncos’ Week 4 loss against the 49ers.

    Engram again had a good route rate but didn’t make the most of his short targets from Bo Nix. Engram, who now has five receptions through four games, is not a fantasy option in any format and should remain on waiver wires for now. He’s been targeted on just 11 percent of his routes this season.
  • MIA Wide Receiver #18
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    Chris Bell caught 0-of-3 targets in the Dolphins’ Week 4 loss to the Vikings.

    Bell’s Week 4 outing was heartbreaking. His near-68-yard touchdown on the Dolphins’ third drive will live with him, and fantasy managers alike, for a while. Malik Willis rolled right out of the pocket, facing pressure and lobbed a wobbly pass to Bell downfield. The rookie wide receiver caught it, took off downfield, stumbled through a leg grab and ran into the end zone. Unfortunately, the officials determined Bell had stepped out of bounds, along the right sideline, during the scramble drill. Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley did not challenge it. Upon replay, one can make the case that his pinky toe’s shadow grazed the white line, but it was an awfully close call. Aside from that, Willis sent him a wobbly, incomplete overthrow beyond the sticks on the Dolphins’ first drive and later tried to force a fadeaway jumper to him 25 yards downfield. The pass was contested and fell incomplete. The talent is there. Despite the rough outing, Bell warrants FLEX consideration against the Saints in Week 5.
  • DEN Quarterback #10
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    Bo Nix completed 25-of-42 attempts for 214 yards and one touchdown in the Broncos’ Week 4 loss to the 49ers, adding two rushes for ten yards.

    Nix’s play — including missing easy intermediate throws in the first half — left Broncos offensive coordinator Davis Webb without answers, a common theme so far this season. His lone touchdown came on a garbage time score to Jaylen Waddle. Nix was in check-down mode throughout the game against the Niners, finishing with a 4.9 aDOT. He was 5 percent under his expected completion rate, targeting his running backs 12 times. Until Webb and Sean Payton figure out the offense, Nix will be a superflex-only fantasy option without much of a weekly ceiling. He gets the Chargers in Week 5.
  • SF Running Back #26
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    Kaelon Black had six rushes for 13 yards in the 49ers’ Week 4 win against the Broncos.

    After seeing 14 carries in Week 1 against the Rams, Black now has 17 rushing attempts over his past three games as the Niners’ No. 2 back behind Christian McCaffrey. Black should be rostered in most leagues as one of the best contingency options in the game. As long as CMC is healthy, Black should remain on benches.
  • SF Wide Receiver #19
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    Deebo Samuel caught 5-of-6 targets for 26 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers’ Week 4 win against the Broncos, adding three rushes for 44 yards.

    Samuel was again a critically important part of the San Francisco offense. He scored his touchdown — his third of the year — on a well-designed red zone target from Brock Purdy. Looking far quicker and more fleet afoot than he did last year in Washington, Samuel has been a consistent flex option in 12-team leagues through Week 4. That should continue in Week 5, though the matchup is much tougher against the Seahawks secondary.