Cody Kessler Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Jaguars QB Blake Bortles will start Sunday's finale against the Texans, HC Doug Marrone announced. QB Cody Kessler was timid and mostly ineffective in his 4 starts, completing 63% of his passes but averaging 5.5 yards per attempt and totaling just 1 TD. At least Bortles will take some shots. He's in play as a QB2 and cheap DFS tournament dart -- and also gives the Texans defense more upside.

The Jaguars benched QB Cody Kessler for QB Blake Bortles in the 2nd half of Sunday's game in Miami. Kessler completed 12 of 17 passes for just 106 yards and "led" his team to 7 points. We'll see who Jacksonville goes with in the finale, but it's irrelevant for fantasy football purposes.

The Jags have fired OC Nathaniel Hackett and benched QB Blake Bortles. Jacksonville sits 22nd in total yards per game; 28th in points per game. Hackett’s replacement is QB coach Scott Milanovich, whose background stems from the CFL and NFL Europe. Cody Kessler takes over at QB and figures to reduce the Jags’ turnover rate. He owns just 4 picks on 248 career attempts. Of course, it’ll be tough to trust any skill player not named Leonard Fournette down the stretch. Even then, Fournette will have to overcome the loss of top OL Andrew Norwell (ankle) to injured reserve.

Jaguars QB Blake Bortles was benched in the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game against the Texans. He was 6-of-12 for 61 yards with 0 TDs and 2 lost fumbles in a little over 1 half of action. QB Cody Kessler is in for Jacksonville.

The Browns have released QB Brock Osweiler. He supposedly made a push for the starting job in August, but this was always the most likely scenario. Osweiler will latch on elsewhere as a backup. In Cleveland, meanwhile, Cody Kessler will back up rookie DeShone Kizer.

Browns HC Hue Jackson named QB DeShone Kizer his starter on Sunday. It's been trending in this direction all August. Kizer has been Cleveland's most impressive QB this preseason, averaging 7.2 yards per attempt with 1 TD and 1 INT -- plus 44 yards and another score on the ground. The rookie will be volatile both in real life and fantasy. But his combination of big arm and rushing ability could turn him into a spot-start option at some point this season.

Browns HC Hue Jackson announced that QB DeShone Kizer will start the 3rd preseason game against the Bucs on Saturday night. He's moved from 3rd in the pecking order in the 1st exhibition, to 2nd in game #2 and now 1st. Jackson stopped short of naming Kizer his regular-season starter, saying only he's "positioning himself well to earn the starting job." But if the rookie plays this weekend like he has in his first 2 outings, he'll be under center on September 10 against the Steelers.

Browns HC Hue Jackson announced on Wednesday that QB Brock Osweiler will start the team's 2nd preseason game on Monday night against the Giants. The veteran struggled to 6-of-14 passing in the opener, while DeShone Kizer shined. But Cleveland isn't ready to hand the keys to the rookie just yet. Jackson did add that Kizer will be the 2nd QB in the game on Monday -- a promotion from last week, when he was QB #3. It sure seems like QB Cody Kessler is out of this competition. Kizer remains a strong bet to start the most games for the Browns this season and still has a shot to win the Week 1 job.

DeShone Kizer was the 3rd Browns QB into Thursday night's preseason opener, but he was easily the most impressive. The rookie finished 11-of-18 for 184 yards, highlighted by a 45-yard TD to WR Jordan Payton. He also picked up 12 yards on 3 carries. QB Brock Osweiler got the start but completed just 6 of 14 passes for 42 yards. QB Cody Kessler was next in line, finishing 5-of-10 for 47 yards. Clearly the most talented QB in Cleveland, bet on Kizer making the most starts this season. He still has a shot to win the Week 1 nod.

Browns QB Brock Osweiler will start the team's preseason opener against the Saints on Thursday. So they weren't kidding when they said Osweiler is in the mix to start. Rookie DeShone Kizer has reportedly been the best QB early in camp, but he struggled in the team's scrimmage on Friday. “A lot goes into our evaluation but it’s always going to be about efficiently and effectively running the offense," HC Hue Jackson said. "You want your starter to be able to do that despite any circumstance. Brock hasn’t really gotten any first team reps and this will give him that chance. We look forward to seeing what he can do with this opportunity throughout the week and against the Saints." Cody Kessler will be the 2nd QB in the game, followed by Kizer and Kevin Hogan. This competition is far from over, of course. But it appears to be a true 3-man race.

Browns HC Hue Jackson said Wednesday that QB Cody Kessler will open training camp as the starter. As expected. Kessler, despite entering just his 2nd NFL season, is the only 1 of Cleveland's top 3 QBs who was with the team last year. Rookie DeShone Kizer and Brock Osweiler both remain in the mix, though, per Jackson. Kizer worked in with the starters in June minicamp, while Osweiler was with the 2nd team. We'll keep an eye on this one, although whoever starts for Cleveland will be just a lower-end QB2 in fantasy football.

Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot expects QB DeShone Kizer to play "early on" this season. The 2nd-round rookie built buzz this spring and got some 1st-team reps in June minicamp. QB Cody Kessler showed surprisingly well last year but can't match Kizer's combination of size, athleticism and arm strength. It makes sense for Cleveland to get a gook look at Kizer before deciding whether to use another early pick on a QB in the 2018 draft.

Browns QB DeShone Kizer rotated in with the 1st-team offense at Tuesday's minicamp practice. HC Hue Jackson downplayed the development afterward. “That’s the way it’s been since OTAs have started," Jackson said. "We’re just mixing and matching and giving guys opportunities. As I told you, I’m going to find out about guys, that’s what I have to do over these next couple of days before we go to training camp." Fair. But Kizer has been buzzing over the past month. Insider Mary Kay Cabot says the rookie has "displayed excellent physical skills and he’s picking up the offense quickly." Kizer is a strong bet to make starts this season and could even end up leading the 2017 Browns in pass attempts.

Browns HC Hue Jackson told the team website that QB Brock Osweiler "has been a pleasant surprise" so far. “Since he has been here, he has been outstanding," Jackson said. "Everybody has a reputation before them. His was a little bit different. He’s not any of that, that we saw. The guy has been outstanding in our building, and I think that’s what is most important.” There should be a fairly open competition at QB in Cleveland this summer, with Cody Kessler as the early favorite. We'll see where this goes.

The Browns will acquire QB Brock Osweiler and a 2018 2nd round draft pick from the Texans. The move clears $16 million in salary from Houston's books, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Browns are now expected to move on from QB Robert Griffin III, leaving them with Osweiler and Cody Kessler atop the depth chart. We wouldn't anoint Osweiler as the Week 1 starter -- Cleveland will certainly still add a QB in the 2017 draft -- but a massive contract gives him another chance to rehab his image. Of course, that won't be easy after a rough 2016, one that included 15 TDs, 16 INTs and a 59% completion rate. We'll also see if Houston can acquire QB Tony Romo from Dallas.

Update: Schefter and Rapoport report that the Browns are considering a release or a trade of Osweiler. Stay tuned as more details roll in.

The Browns have released QB Josh McCown. The 37-year-old appeared in 5 games as part of Cleveland's 2016 QB carousel, completing just 54.5% of his passes with 6 TDs and 6 INTs. McCown reportedly wants to continue his playing career but will only draw interest as a veteran backup. The Browns, meanwhile, are left with QBs Robert Griffin, Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan. They'll likely add to that group via free agency and/or the draft.

Browns QB Robert Griffin has passed through the concussion protocol and will practice on Thursday, according to ESPN's Tony Grossi. HC Hue Jackson suggested earlier this week that he still believes RG3 might be the team's answer at QB, so we'd expect him to get the nod in Sunday's finale against the Steelers.

Browns QB Robert Griffin suffered a concussion in the 2nd half of Sunday's game against the Chargers. Before exiting, he completed 17 of 25 passes for 164 yards, 0 TDs and 0 INTs. He added another 42 yards on the ground -- but also took 7 sacks. QB Cody Kessler has replaced RG3.

It's official. The Browns announced Thursday that QB Robert Griffin III will start Sunday's rematch with the Bengals. It'll be Griffin's 1st game action since he suffered a fracture in his left shoulder in the season opener -- a game in which he and the Browns offense on whole struggled. It's impossible to project Griffin's impact on the rest of the offensive skill players. His mobility adds something for the Bengals' D to worry about, but Griffin has also been disturbingly susceptible to sacks and oft-erratic with his passing when we've had the chance to see him play over the past couple of years. We certainly can't count him as an upgrade over QB Cody Kessler, or a downgrade for Cincinnati's team D value in fantasy football this week.