The freefall is over.

After waiting two-plus days and four-plus rounds, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was finally drafted … by the Cleveland Browns. I’d actually praise the pick in real and fantasy terms if it weren’t for what the Browns have already done in the offseason and in the draft.

Obviously, their first blunder came in 2022 when they traded a king’s ransom in draft picks to acquire Deshaun Watson and then sign him to a $230 million guaranteed contract. That has not worked out well, as Watson has barely played due to injuries … and he wasn't great when he was on the field. Watson remains on the payroll too (for now), though we don’t know if he will play in 2025.

The Browns also traded for Kenny Pickett and signed veteran Joe Flacco in the offseason. At that point, I assumed Flacco would be their starting quarterback in Week 1. After all, he won Comeback Player of the Year in coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense not too long ago. The old veteran was also a nice fantasy asset, averaging over 20 points per game in his starts.

Cleveland wasn’t done at quarterback though, as it drafted Dillon Gabriel out of Oregon in the third round. He appeared to be their quarterback of the future, assuming Watson and his massive cap hit will eventually get the boot. Instead, the Browns added yet another quarterback to further muddy the waters.

That quarterback, of course, is Sanders.

The team now has control of five field generals, and there isn’t one who sticks out as the best of the bunch. Watson has the best fantasy resume, but he’s coming off multiple Achilles and seems like a shell of his former self. I’d prefer to see Flacco next, but can he bring back that old magic at the age of 40? Pickett has been an NFL dud, and I can’t see my way to projecting Gabriel or Sanders as Year 1 starters, no less Week 1 starters.

We’ll need time to see how this all shakes out, as the Browns are not going to have five signal-callers on their roster. Maybe they cut Watson and eat the dead money, who knows. But for now, I’d struggle to pick even one of these quarterbacks as the best fantasy bet in redraft leagues. Hell, who gets the nod in a dynasty draft … Gabriel or Sanders?

It’s a fantasy football mess … much like the Browns offseason moves.  


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shedeur Sanders' Fantasy Football Value Might Be Sunk In Cleveland.