The Browns seemed to be hesitant to go to Shedeur Sanders as their starting quarterback, but now that they’ve gone to the rookie QB, it looks like there’s no going back–at least not right away. Sanders is going to start again on Sunday after winning his first NFL start, but should he be a part of your fantasy football plans?
While his accomplishment of becoming the first Browns quarterback to win his first career start since 1995 is impressive, it doesn’t quite translate directly to fantasy production. Let’s take a look at this fantasy football outlook and see if he deserves any attention this week against the 49ers.
Shedeur Sanders stepping up?
Sanders looked scary in his first NFL action back in Week 11, but he looked much better in Week 12. Part of that could have been the full week of practice as the starter, and part of that was likely due to the fact that he was facing the Raiders.
He completed 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He only had one rushing attempt for -1 yards after rushing three times for 16 yards in his work in relief of the injured Dillon Gabriel.
Sanders threw multiple deep passes, and showed the ability to make plays down the field. He is the only QB in league history to have multiple 50+ yard passes in his first start.
He didn’t throw his first touchdown until late in the game, and it was actually on one of his shorter passes that his fellow rookie Dylan Sampson took to the house.
Should you start Shedeur Sanders?
Sanders and the Browns come home in Week 13 as they host the 49ers, who will be traveling from the West Coast to the Eastern time zone on a short week. The 49ers have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to QBs this season, pending the outcome of their Monday Night matchup with Bryce Young. While they are still a solid defense, they’re definitely not a “must avoid” option.
Sanders definitely has the potential to go off since he’s taking so many deep shots and has a solid group of young playmakers around him. The coaching staff looked ready to give him plenty of opportunities on Sunday, even though they were slow to start him. He also brings some rushing potential, which the Browns didn’t tap much on Sunday since they were playing from ahead.
While he’s still a very high-risk play and has been inefficient, his upside remains extremely high in Kevin O’Connell’s system.
The Bottom Line
With all 32 teams in action in Week 13, there are probably better QBs available for standard-sized, single-QB leagues. However, if you’re in a desperate situation, a deep league, or a dual-QB league, Shedeur’s upside is definitely enough to get everyone’s attention as a boom-or-bust starter.
In one-week DFS contests like the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st] on DraftKings, Sanders is a bargain at only $4,200. He’s barely more than the minimum of $4,000, and he has proven he can do enough to deliver outstanding value at that salary. With a limited 10-game slate, there is huge value in going cheap at QB and paying up for stars on a thin slate. If Sanders can even just duplicate his 11.3 fantasy points from last week, he’d be a solid value, but at home in this matchup, there’s plenty of reasons to believe he can improve. While he’s definitely high-risk, he’s also a great GPP “swing for the fences” play on DraftKings.
