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Cleveland Browns Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Shark Bites are the latest fantasy football news & NFL updates. Draft Sharks has been in business since 1999. And when we started, redraft was the dominant form of fantasy football. Check out what we've learned about this most basic form of fantasy football along the way.

Browns rookie TE Harold Fannin Jr. “could be primed for a large role” in 2025, per reporter Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. Oyefusi expects the Browns to run more two-TE sets this season.

The Browns announced Monday that they're placing LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on the Reserve/PUP list. When that happens ahead of training camp, it means the player will miss the entire season. JOK sustained a neck injury in the Week 8 win over the Ravens last season and missed the rest of the year.

The Browns have agreed to a one-year deal with WR Diontae Johnson, according to multiple reports. Since the end of the 2023 season, Johnson has seen the Steelers trade him to Carolina, the Panthers trade him to the Ravens for minimal return, Baltimore waive him, Houston claim him only to release him shortly thereafter ... and then no team sign him until after the draft. Johnson averaged career lows 2.8 receptions and 31.3 yards per game across last year's three stops. He'll turn 29 in July.

The Browns selected Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders with the 144th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Sanders played efficient, winning football across four college seasons. He began his career at Jackson State, where he led his team to a 23-3 record across the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Sanders completed 68% of his passes with 70 TDs vs. 14 INTs. He was named FCS’s top freshman in 2021 and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the top player in FCS in 2022. Sanders then followed his father, Deion, to Colorado. The Buffaloes went 4-8 in his first season but improved to 9-4 this past year. Sanders completed 71.8% of his passes at Colorado, including an FBS-best 74.0% completion rate in 2024. He’s deadly accurate on short and intermediate throws and reads defenses like a pro. But Sanders has average arm strength and lackluster pocket presence. He was sacked 94 times over the last two seasons and ranked 89th among 128 qualifying QBs in pressure-to-sack ratio in 2024. Sanders’ accuracy will shine if he gets good protection as a pro, but it could get ugly if he’s stuck behind a bad offensive line. Ultimately, there just aren’t any elite traits here to get excited about – either in real life or fantasy football.

The Browns selected Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson with the 126th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. After splitting carries with current Dolphin Jaylen Wright in 2023, Sampson took off in a three-down role for Tennessee in 2024. He rushed 258 times for 1,491 yards and 22 TDs, adding 20 catches. The 20-year-old ran for at least 92 yards in every SEC game last season. Sampson’s smooth transition and cutback ability between the tackles make him a more complete back than Wright was last year. Tennessee doesn’t use their RBs in the passing game much, so Sampson’s a bit of a wild card in that area. Still, we’re encouraged by his overall skill set, and there’s potential for him to make an early-career fantasy impact.

Browns GM Andrew Berry called RB Quinshon Judkins a "bellcow" and a "very versatile" back on Friday night. Cleveland made Judkins the third RB off the board, selecting him 36th overall.

The Browns selected Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel in Round Three of the 2025 NFL Draft. Gabriel spent six years in college, starting two seasons at Central Florida, two at Oklahoma, and one at Oregon. (He missed most of 2021, his final UCF season, with a broken clavicle.) Gabriel steadily improved throughout his career, culminating with an impressive 2024 campaign at Oregon. He threw for 3,857 yards with 30 TDs vs. six INTs on a 72.9% completion rate and 8.6 yards per attempt. Gabriel ranked second in adjusted completion rate and eighth in Pro Football Focus passing grade among 128 qualifying QBs. He was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting. This is a smart, experienced QB with a quick release and excellent accuracy. Unfortunately, Gabriel goes 5’11 and 205 pounds with underwhelming arm strength and average athleticism. That ultimately limits his upside for NFL and fantasy teams. We’re likely looking at a long-term backup with spot-start ability.

The Browns selected Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr. in Round 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft. After a breakout sophomore campaign (44-623-6), Fannin turned in the most productive season from a TE in FBS history. He set single-season records with 117 catches and 1,555 receiving yards, posting an absurd 60.0% Dominator Rating. That easily led this TE class and was the second-highest mark among all TEs with 20+ targets since 2004, behind only Trey McBride. Fannin feasted on a lot of bad defenses in the MAC, but he also torched Penn State for 11 catches, 137 yards, and a TD and Texas A&M for eight catches, 145 yards, and a score. Fannin tested as a mediocre athlete at the Combine, with a 4.71-second 40 time and 34-inch vertical at 241 pounds. But that wasn’t a surprise if you watch his tape. Fannin is an awkward player. He’s clearly explosive in a straight-line, but his change of direction is clunky. Fannin is ultimately an unconventional prospect that comes with a wide range of fantasy outcomes.

The Browns opened Round 2 of the NFL Draft by taking UCLA LB Carson Schwesinger. He spent just one season starting for the Bruins after arriving as a walk-on. That one season found him earning first-team All-American status with a big statistical season. That included an FBS-leading 90 solo tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 2 INTs, and 3 passes defensed.

The Cleveland Browns selected Ohio State RB Quinshon Judkins with the 36th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Judkins was an early breakout with 1,565 rushing yards and 16 TDs as a true freshman at Ole Miss (2022). After another strong season in 2023 (271-1,158-15), Judkins transferred to Ohio State. Unfortunately, OL injuries and a shared backfield with TreVeyon Henderson led to career lows with 194 attempts and 1,060 rushing yards. Judkins looks the part, though, with NFL power and burst off the snap. He showed high-end athleticism at the NFL Combine, registering a 75th percentile forty time, an 89th percentile vertical, and a 98th percentile broad jump. His efforts earned him an excellent 9.87 Relative Athletic Score.

After trading down from second to fifth, the Browns took DT Mason Graham in the first round of the NFL Draft. Graham totaled 18 tackles for loss and 9 sacks across three seasons at Michigan.

Once considered the potential No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, QB Shadeur Sanders might need to wait a lot longer to hear his name called. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer writes that, "it feels like it’d be surprising" if Sanders went in the top 10. It's possible that he falls all the way to the Steelers at pick 21 -- or goes even later.

The Browns and QB Joe Flacco agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal, his agent tells ESPN's Adam Schefter. Flacco can earn as much as $13 million with incentives. Flacco returns to Cleveland, where he won Comeback Player of the Year in 2023. He averaged 323 yards across five games that year, tossing 13 TDs vs. eight INTs in a pass-heavy attack. Flacco made six starts with seven total appearances for the Colts last season, averaging 7.1 yards per attempt with 12 TDs and seven INTs. He turned 40 in January.

The Browns are trading QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick to the Eagles for QB Kenny Pickett, according to multiple reports. That makes Pickett and Deshaun Watson the only rostered QBs for Cleveland. The Eagles, meanwhile, appear ready to let Tanner McKee back up Jalen Hurts.

The Browns and Edge Myles Garrett have agreed a monster extension that includes $123.5 million in guarantees and a $40 million annual average, according to multiple sources. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Garrett's deal also includes a no-trade clause and ties him to the Browns through 2030. The annual average tops Raiders Edge Maxx Crosby and makes Garrett the league's highest-paid non-QB. It also comes about five weeks after Garrett asked the team to trade him.

Former Ohio State RB Quinshon Judkins ran a blazing 4.48 40-yard dash with a 1.51 10-yard split (96th percentile). He also had a 38.5" Vertical (93rd Percentile) and 11'00 Broad Jump (99th Percentile). Judkins did all of this at a hefty 5'11 5/8 and 221 pounds.

Former Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr. was one of the smallest TEs at the Combine, coming in at 6’3 ¼ and 241 pounds. He was expected to run in the 4.6s for the 40-yard dash, but just failed to meet that expectation, falling to 4.71. His stock may be dropping.

Browns Edge Myles Garrett has officially requested that the team trade him. According to multiple reports, though, Browns GM Andrew Berry has maintained that he's not interested in moving Garrett.

The Ravens have claimed WR Diontae Johnson off waivers from the Texans, NFL Network reports. Johnson, of course, spent some time with Baltimore earlier this season after Carolina traded him away. The Ravens dumped him after four games.

The Browns promoted TE coach Tommy Rees to OC. The 32-year-old becomes the youngest OC in the league. Rees was Notre Dame's starting QB just 12 years ago. He quickly flamed out in the NFL before getting into coaching. He most recently served as Notre Dame's OC from 2020-2022 and Alabama's OC in 2023 before joining the Browns last year. According to NFL Network, HC Kevin Stefanski is expected to take back over as the play-caller after giving those duties to former OC Ken Dorsey last year. The biggest question in Cleveland, of course, is who will be under center in 2025. QB Deshaun Watson is expected to miss most, if not all, of the season after re-tearing his Achilles. QB Jameis Winston is a free agent. We've already heard QB Kirk Cousins connected to Cleveland after he spent two seasons under Stefanski in Minnesota. Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, meanwhile, notes that Rees coached QB Jalen Milroe at Alabama. Milroe is expected to be a first- or second-round pick in this spring's draft.

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