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Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson to alternate as preseason starters

The Cleveland Browns are expected to alternate quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson as starters during the preseason.

First seen Aug 05, 2026 · 5:31 AM UTC · last updated Aug 05 5:31 AM

Scoring Zone's Take

Scoreboard's Take: The Browns rotating Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson through preseason starts tells you Cleveland genuinely hasn't settled its QB1, which is exactly the kind of situation you flag but can't fully resolve in August. For draft prep, treat both as speculative, deep-league-only stashes rather than anything resembling a locked-in starter — the fact that the team feels compelled to evaluate both means neither has secured the job, and preseason snaps rarely translate cleanly into regular-season fantasy production anyway.

Watson carries more name-value and offseason pedigree, but his recent history of injuries and inconsistency means he's not someone to bank draft capital on based solely on this rotation news; if he wins the job, he's still a late-round streaming option at best given Cleveland's offensive infrastructure. Sanders, as a rookie, is the more interesting long-term watch — winning reps now doesn't guarantee Week 1 snaps, but any positive preseason buzz could bump his dynasty/keeper stock if you're in a format that rewards upside bets on unproven passers.

Actionable takeaway: don't draft either for immediate lineup value in redraft leagues; this is a "monitor the competition" situation, not a "start planning your QB room around it" situation. In dynasty or keeper formats, Sanders is worth a speculative late add if he's available, purely on ceiling. Watson is only worth holding if you already have him rostered and want to see how the competition shakes out before cutting bait. Confidence here is high on the fact itself (both sources agree), but zero fantasy conclusions should be drawn yet about who wins the job or how either performs once the games count.

Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson to alternate as preseason starters

by Ari Koslow | Browns Correspondent |

The Browns are expected to alternate QBs Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson as preseason starters. (Cameron Wolfe on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact:

Sanders and Watson have been rotating first-team reps in practice as well. They'll continue to both get reps with the first-team offense in live game action in the preseason before a decision on the Week 1 starter is made.

More Shedeur Sanders: News, Rankings, Projections, Stats

Coverage from Fantasypros News Html · by Ari Koslow · Aug 05, 2026 · read original