Deshaun Watson has been named the Browns’ starting quarterback for their Week 1 matchup vs. the Jaguars on September 13th.
Watson hasn’t played in a real NFL game in nearly two years due to two Achilles ruptures and he has been underwhelming so far this preseason, completing just 59.3% of his passes for 162 yards, no touchdowns and one pick.
Sheduer Sanders has been slightly better but also disappointing, completing 68.2% of his passes for 153 yards, one touchdown and two picks. Among the 61 quarterbacks who have dropped back at least 20 times this preseason, Sanders and Watson rank 46th and 48th in passer rating, respectively.
Many believed Sanders would be named the starter, but the Browns are electing to start Watson for Week 1. The veteran likely will be on a short leash and Sanders taking over a few weeks into the season is very possible, but the nonetheless, Watson will be under center for likely a few games at the minimum.
So, with Watson at quarterback, how does this affect the fantasy value of Fannin Jr. and Concepcion? Fannin Jr. is coming off an awesome rookie season, in which he caught 72 passes for 732 yards and six touchdowns, resulting in him finishing as the No.3 tight end for fantasy football. Concepcion was selected in the first round by Cleveland in this past NFL Draft, after the receiver caught 61 passes for 919 yards and nine touchdowns with Texas A&M last season.
Jerry Jeudy remains with the Browns, but he took a massive step backwards last season and David Njoku is now with the Chargers, so Fannin Jr. and Concepcion are likely to lead this team in targets this season. Fannin Jr. should see a big target share right out the gate and it shouldn’t take long for Concepcion to establish himself given the lack of weapons surrounding him and Fannin Jr. in this offense.
While Watson’s struggles as a passer are concerning, Sanders isn’t much of an upgrade in that department, if any. Both these quarterbacks are going to see starts this season and the Browns getting volatile play from the quarterback position on a week-to-week basis feels inevitable. This isn’t news, though, as the main concern surrounding drafting Fannin Jr. and Concepcion for fantasy football has always been quarterback play, so Watson being named the Week 1 starter doesn’t move the needle when it comes to these pass catchers.
Fannin Jr.’s role is likely to be so elite that him finishing as one of the top scoring tight ends again is very possible, regardless of who’s under center. At an ADP of 98.2 for Best Ball drafts on DraftKings, Fannin Jr. is a great target that has big upside. Concepcion is going a little later with an ADP of 110.7 and while the rookie isn’t as safe as Fannin Jr., Concepcion is absolutely worth considering this late in drafts.
