Deshaun Watson-Shedeur Sanders QB Battle Takes Shape In Cleveland
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Hims, a QB battle shapes up in Cleveland, rankings update and checking Best Ball rookie ADPs.
In what feels more like a “threat” than a report, Deshaun Watson apparently has the “inside track” to be the Browns’ QB1 this year, per Mary Kay Cabot.
This comes in conjunction with Browns VP JW Johnson—what does a VP even do?— saying Watson “looks great … and healthy” and Tony Rizzo relaying that he looked “phenomenal” during Browns minicamp.
It’s fair to question how reliable our narrators are as Cleveland attempts to whitewash history and sell us on a new and improved Watson.
Because, let’s be very clear, the last time we saw Watson play football, he was atrocious (5.3 YPA and league-worst QBR).
The question, of course, is if Shedeur Sanders—the presumed No. 2 in this scenario—is even worse.
If there’s one silver lining to the most depressing QB battle of the offseason, it’s that the Browns made some legitimate upgrades to their receiving room.
KC Concepcion, whom they selected with pick 24, is a versatile player who will immediately join Harold Fannin as a top target. He’s the consensus WR4 in this class, but Matthew Freedman has him as a WR3 over Makai Lemon. It’s also worth mentioning that KC is pulling for Sanders to win the job.
Denzel Boston, whom they nabbed at pick 39, is more one-dimensional than Concepcion—he’s a “big-bodied contested-catch savant with vice-grip hands,” per Dwain McFarland. We’ve seen this type of profile bust many times (think Keon Coleman), but he could easily earn a starting role and rack up some TDs in Year 1.
I’m happily targeting both of these guys in early best ball drafts (you can check their season-long projections here) because I think the volume and talent are worth the stab at their current prices.
But for true league-winning potential, we’ll need either Watson or Sanders to be someone completely different than who they’ve been most recently. Gulp.
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Editors’ Picks
It’s been less than a week since Mr. Irrelevant got selected, so how many rookie drafts have you started? We know more are on the way, so here’s content to help …
Arch or Dante?
Let the debate begin for the heralded 2027 QB class. Kody Malstrom got out the crystal ball and peered ahead a year in this way-too-early NFL Mock Draft for next year.
Rookie Rankings
The top spot is spoken for, but there are still plenty of rookies to talk about. Dwain McFarland makes hard choices and drops Nerd Notes in ranking the rookies.
Dynasty Mailbag
Trade up for Fernando Mendoza or wait on the 2027 QB class? Jake Trowbridge answers this and more questions in the latest mailbag.
Time to Take Brock Purdy Seriously in Fantasy
Sometimes it’s not easy to shake that Brock Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft. That happened, yes, but what’s happened since is that Purdy has been a certifiable baller as the point guard in one of the best offenses under the direction of one of the best playcallers in the NFL in Kyle Shanahan. Ian Hartitz reminds us of this in his post-draft rankings update:
Reminder: Purdy averaged a whopping 23.5 fantasy points per game (QB2!) upon returning from injury in Week 11 to finish the fantasy season STRONG–and that was without longtime key pieces like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams in the fold. Expecting the offensive environment to return to 2023 heights is probably wishful thinking, but it's reasonable to think the additions of Mike Evans, Christian Kirk and No. 33 overall pick De'Zhaun Stribling elevate what Purdy was mostly dealing with last season.
Ian highlighted plenty more players he’s high and low on. ⤵️
Draft Or Fade These Rookie ADPs?
Best Ball season is officially upon us for 2026, with Best Ball Mania kicking off this past Monday and drafts happening left, right and center.
If we’ve learned anything over the last few years as it pertains to best ball strategy, rookies tend to get steamed once landing spots are locked in after the draft.
With the draft in our rearview mirror and the flagship contests underway, let’s evaluate some of the 2026 rookie class, their fantasy football ADP and whether they’re worth targeting or fading in early Best Ball Mania drafts on Underdog.
DRAFT: Jordyn Tyson | WR | NO (ADP: 70.6)
When Dwain McFarland tells you to smash the draft button on an ADP, you do it. On a recent episode of The Fantasy Life Show, Dwain talked about how he expects Tyson to steam up the draft board throughout the summer, noting that if there’s a time to buy, it’s now.
He profiles as a high-upside wideout after showcasing himself as an electric player in college, and enters a Saints offense that should flow almost exclusively through two players, Tyson and Chris Olave. With ample target volume up for grabs in New Orleans and a potentially ascending QB in Tyler Shough, Tyson projects for 11.1 half-PPR points per game on 7.9 targets per game, ranking as the WR25 in our half-PPR projections. That’s a 10-spot delta relative to his ADP (WR35). As Dwain said, the time to buy is now.
FADE: Carnell Tate | WR | TEN (ADP: 59.4)
Carnell Tate’s ADP is one of my least favorite of the rookie class. His draft capital has catapulted his Rookie Super Model Score to a 96, the third-highest all-time, but his QB situation is murky, our analysts are more bearish than bullish on Tate (who wasn’t even the WR1 on his own team!) and there are other options in his range with a much higher floor/ceiling combination worth targeting—Cam Skattebo, D’Andre Swift, Makai Lemon, to name a few.
He also finds himself in the middle of the draft range where the elite QB1s are going off the board. If you want to anchor your roster around a bona fide QB1, passing on Tate is an easy way to do so. I’d prefer to target Tate with an ADP closer to the Round 6-7 turn than where he is now.
Around the Watercooler
Our merry band of football nerds is back and bringing you the latest news, content and memes from the NFL universe …
🏄️ Here’s what you can get with a mid-2nd round dynasty rookie pick. Nice!
🤲 A health update on Bo Nix. Sounds promising.
🤑 What will Eagles get for AJB? Schefter weighs in here.
📊 A cool visual of rookie ADP. I refuse to take Mendoza over Tyson even in superflex.
🤪 Take Jordyn Tyson over Emeka Egbuka and Davante Adams? Not crazy.
📽️ Drake Maye to AJB would be cinema. Be patient, it’s not June.
⬆️⬇️ Who’s rising, who’s falling? Post-draft, it’s a different story.
Rookie Super Flex Mock Draft: Who Are We Picking?
We know. We know. We know who’s going No. 1 in rookie drafts. But what do the 11 unlucky souls who don’t get Jeremiyah Love do after that first pick? Kendall, Ian and Dwain team up for a three-round superflex mock draft to show you who will be there after Love is off the board.
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