The Browns have elevated QB Joe Flacco from the practice squad and waived QB P.J. Walker. We'd guess that points to Flacco starting again, though the team has declined to name Sunday's starter yet. Dorian Thompson-Robinson would be the other option. Cleveland's WRs have to be hoping it won't go that way.
Browns QB Joe Flacco has been getting first-team reps in practice and "could start" this weekend's game vs. the Rams, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson is in concussion protocol -- and hasn't been good in his three starts. QB P.J. Walker has been just as bad. Flacco just joined the Browns 10 days ago but is likely the team's best passer. He completed 58% of his passes at 5.5 yards per attempt with five TDs and three INTs in five appearances for the Jets last year. That included outings of 309 and 307 passing yards in the first two weeks of the season. Flacco is not a viable Week 13 fantasy play, but we'd consider him a slight upgrade for Cleveland's skill-position players.
Browns QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson left to get checked for a concussion after taking a hit to the head in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Broncos. He's been replaced by QB P.J. Walker. We'll pass along an update on Thompson-Robinson when we know more.
Update: Thompson-Robinson has been ruled out with a concussion. That makes him unlikely to play in Week 13. We'll see if Cleveland starts QB P.J. Walker or QB Joe Flacco vs. the Rams.
Multiple reports on Sunday evening indicate that the Browns are signing free agent QB Joe Flacco to their practice squad. The former Super Bowl XLVII MVP visited with Cleveland on Friday, and it's expected that he'll be elevated to the active roster shortly. This move adds much-needed positional depth in the aftermath of the announcement of starter Deshaun Watson's season-ending shoulder surgery. Fantasy managers in deeper 2QB/superflex leagues can consider throwing light FAAB or a speculative waiver claim on Flacco, though it would be wise to temper expectations. It's still entirely possible that the Browns will stick with rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center, and they do still have backup P.J. Walker on the roster as well. Stay tuned for further updates.
The Browns plan to start rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson this Sunday against the Steelers, according to Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz. That's a mild surprise in the wake of QB Deshaun Watson's season-ending shoulder injury. DTR got the first chance to replace Watson back in Week 4 but played his way into P.J. Walker taking the next three fill-in spots. Apparently Cleveland has seen enough development from Thompson-Robinson -- and probably enough meh-to-poor play from Walker -- to try the rookie again. DTR certainly doesn't boost the outlooks for any pass catchers. He completed just 52.8% of passes at 3.4 yards per attempt with 0 TDs and 3 INTs in his lone extended action to date. But the fifth-round pick at least presents the upside of the unknown. Walker's been out of college since 2017 and garnered nine NFL starts over the past four years. Thompson-Robinson's one start into his pro career after a nice college run that included five years as UCLA's primary QB. He completed 63.3% of his passes at 7.9 yards per attempt there. More important for his own fantasy purposes, Thompson-Robinson ran for 1,826 yards (even with sack yardage subtracted) and 28 TDs across his college career. He's worth a pickup in superflex leagues. And if the rookie can't do enough to keep WR Amari Cooper and TE David Njoku relevant, expect a switch back to Walker.
Update: HC Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Thompson-Robinson will start vs. the Steelers this weekend.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson suffered a right-shoulder injury in Sunday's win over the Ravens that will end his season. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that it's a "displaced fracture in his right glenoid." Watson will have surgery, and he's expected to fully recover. That should mean he's ready in plenty of time for the start of 2024. For the rest of 2023, however, this means Browns pass catchers will see decreased efficiency. Watson hasn't been having a terrific season, but he leads P.J. Walker by wide margins in completion rate, TD rate, passer rating, QBR and Pro Football Reference's adjusted net yards per pass attempt. Walker's three games as primary QB so far this year have each included at least 8 targets for lead WR Amari Cooper. The wideout delivered quality receiving lines -- 4-108 and 6-89 -- in two of them but struggled against the Colts in between and has yet to catch a TD from Walker. Cooper caught just 44.4% of his targets over those three contests, compared with 64.4% across the other six. And that number rises further if you remove the Week 4 start for rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (6 targets, 1 catch). The remaining five games have found Cooper catching 71.8% of his targets. Losing Watson hurts Cooper. TE David Njoku, on the other hand, might be least impacted. He averaged 4.0 receptions and 51.7 yards across those three Walker games vs. 4.3 receptions and 37.0 yards per game in the other six. We have updated our Week 11 rankings and are updating the rest-of-season rankings as well.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports "more information is needed" to determine whether Browns QB Deshaun Watson will be ready to play Sunday against the Steelers after hurting his left ankle in the Week 10 win over the Ravens. Watson missed only the final play of the first half and then returned to play (well) throughout the second-half comeback. We'll watch his status throughout the week. P.J. Walker would start if Watson can't go.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) will start Sunday's game vs. the Cardinals, HC Kevin Stefanski said Friday. Watson was listed as a full participant in Friday's practice and took the first-team reps in the portion of practice open to the media, according to insider Mary Kay Cabot. This will be Watson's second time returning from this shoulder injury in the past three weeks. The first go-around, he lasted just 12 snaps before giving way to QB P.J. Walker. There's theoretical upside here in a plus matchup against Arizona, but Watson would be a high-risk Week 9 fantasy play.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) remained limited in Thursday's practice. He said afterward that his participation in practice is part of his rehab plan and doesn't necessarily mean that he's playing vs. the Cardinals this weekend. We're still projecting QB P.J. Walker to start that one but will update Watson's status again tomorrow.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) was limited in Wednesday's practice. It's an upgrade after he was sidelined all last week. The Cleveland media was impressed with the zip on Watson's passes early in practice, but HC Kevin Stefanski wouldn't say whether Watson will play vs. the Cardinals this weekend. We'll keep you updated on his status over the next few days.
Browns QB P.J. Walker completed 15 of 31 passes for 248 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs in Week 8’s loss vs. the Seahawks. The backup also added 27 rushing yards on the ground in the contest. Despite his issues with turnovers, Walker was able to crack double-digit fantasy points. It remains to be seen whether or not he or QB Deshaun Watson will be under center in Week 9 vs. the Cardinals.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. the Seahawks. A Monday MRI showed no new damage to Watson’s throwing shoulder, but he’s still experiencing pain and weakness. QB P.J. Walker gets another start this weekend.
Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that QB P.J. Walker will start this weekend's game vs. the Seahawks. "I just feel like with what happened in the game, landing on his shoulder, there's residual swelling that's affecting his throwing," Stefanski said of QB Deshaun Watson. "I think it's the best thing for him to rest this week and focus on the rehab." Considering Watson was out for three weeks the first time he hurt his shoulder, it's certainly possible that he misses more than one game this time around. Expect another run-heavy game plan from Cleveland in Seattle this weekend.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson left Sunday's game vs. the Colts to be checked for a concussion. He was cleared -- but remains on the sidelines for now in favor of P.J. Walker. Watson went 1 of 5 for 5 yards and an INT before exiting. We'll keep you updated on the situation.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson went into detail about his shoulder injury on Wednesday. He confirmed that it's a rotator cuff injury, per The Associated Press' Tom Withers. Watson said he's "trending up" but admitted that he might not get back to 100% this season. He added that he's not sure if it'll be days or weeks before he's ready to play. He's set to undergo medical testing ahead of Wednesday's practice. We'll keep you updated on Watson's status, but fantasy owners shouldn't plan on having him available for Week 7 lineups.
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