Deshaun Watson Named Browns QB1: Fantasy Football Impact On KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston & More

Deshaun Watson has officially been named the Browns' starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Jaguars. "Winning" the QB battle in the league's most uninspiring QB room doesn't have a big ripple effect for fantasy football, but this offense still has playmakers we can be (somewhat) excited about.

Let's break down what this means for each relevant pass catcher (and QB) in the Browns' offense for fantasy football.

Fantasy Football Fallout Of Deshaun Watson Being Named Browns QB1

Deshaun Watson

Calling the Browns' QB room uninspiring might have been too generous—it downright stinks. 2026 marks Watson's fifth season with the Browns, having appeared in 20 total games (zero in 2025). He's failed to top 6.5 yards per attempt in any of his seasons with the Browns (after at least 7.8 ypa in every season as a Texan), has topped out at 1.8 touchdown passes per interception (low of 2.2 as a Texan; 2019), has two seasons of at least a 10.5% sack rate and has posted the second-worst EPA per dropback (-0.21) among 138 quarterbacks with at least 7 starts since 2022 (per nfelo).

Our Xfinity fantasy football projections have Watson slated to play 8 games and average 15 PPG. This is a hard, hard fade, but I don't need to remind you of that.

Shedeur Sanders

Remember when Shedeur Sanders was frequently mocked as not just a Round 1 pick in the NFL Draft, but a top-five selection? Good times. It's become glaringly obvious why he fell to Round 5 in the draft—media/character concerns aside—if he can't even beat out Watson in a QB competition.

I mentioned Watson ranking 137th out of 138 qualifying QBs in EPA per dropback since 2022 (min. 7 starts). Who ranked 138th? You guessed it—Sheuder Sanders (-0.23).

The projections above show that we have Watson and Sanders projected to essentially split QB1 duties this season, but neither is an inspiring option for the pass catchers nor fantasy managers.

Fade this entire QB room, and if you're holding Sanders in a dynasty league, I ask you—why? You want a QB on your team that couldn't beat out this preseason performance from his competition?

Browns QB1 Deshaun Watson through 2 preseason games https://t.co/5lD6E1bzjk pic.twitter.com/nY2USfJAnm
— Fantasy Life (@MBFantasyLife) August 24, 2026

KC Concepcion

Ranking (PPR): 100 (WR42)
ADP (ESPN): 146.3

Watson being named the starter didn't move our projections or fantasy football rankings at all for the pass catchers, so let's run through quick hitters of where KC Concepcion and Co. find themselves.

We're most bullish on Concepcion out of the group, projecting him for 9.2 half-PPR points per game with an Xfinity best projection of 11.7 per game. That clears any pass catcher on the Browns by at least 2.5 points in base projection and at least 3.5 in ceiling projection. In Watson's Week 1 preseason game, Concepcion posted a 36% target share (4 targets) and showcased his after-catch ability with a 14-yard TD against the Bears. Given his YAC ability and likelihood to move all over the field, Concepcion is the bet to make in this WR room at a near-free price tag.

Denzel Boston

Ranking (PPR): 140 (WR58)
ADP (ESPN): 166.0

Denzel Boston has had a steady drumbeat throughout training camp, and while his fantasy football ADP on ESPN is in the 160s, he's been going in the 130s on Underdog, showing how bullish some drafters are on a sharper site. He's in line for a full-time role, but it's hard to get excited about a player who posted the 75th-highest score (75.2) in the Rookie Super Model since 2018 and is viewed as an overrated Round 2 pick by the model. He's a fine late-round dart, but not one I am going out of my way to target, and often not even a player I am clicking around his ranking or ADP.

Harold Fannin Jr.

Ranking (PPR): 74 (TE6)
ADP (ESPN): 75.7

The one Browns player that I have made proactive efforts to draft this summer is Harold Fannin. He played former TE1 David Njoku out of town as a rookie last season, earning a 242% target share and, even more impressively, 24% targets per route run (tied with Dalton Kincaid for TE1 among TEs with at least 12 games played).

He's going to be relied upon over the middle of the field once again, given his target-earning and YAC ability, and projects for the most catches on the team (65) on the second-most targets (97). At 10.4 projected points per game, Fannin is a strong mid-round TE option in drafts; it's just not a position I find myself drafting a lot in the middle rounds.