Rich Ryan advised avoiding the entire Browns quarterback carousel—Joe Flacco, Shadour Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and Kenny Pickett—calling it a “gnarly parlay” that almost never pays off in best ball. Drafters must 1) pick the eventual Week 17 starter, 2) hope that same passer survives multiple rookie challengers, and 3) count on Kevin Stefanski to pivot from his preferred run-heavy scripts once winter hits the AFC North. Even with Jameis Winston last year, Ryan noted the Browns led the league in raw dropbacks yet still failed to generate usable fantasy weeks for ancillary receivers, let alone quarterbacks. Given the low ceiling and high replacement cost, he is clicking zero Cleveland signal-callers and instead uses late picks on stable QB3s like Jackson Dart who have clear paths to starting down the stretch.

Sam Monson dismissed the idea that Joe Flacco can salvage Cleveland’s offense, calling him "fool’s gold" at this stage of his career. Monson expects the Browns to field one of the league’s worst offenses despite occasional big-yardage games from Flacco, arguing those spikes merely highlight how dreadful Deshaun Watson was. He pointed to a four-man quarterback room "nobody trusts," a front office already gearing its assets toward the 2026 draft, and lingering morale issues from the Watson fiasco. Because the organization is effectively punting on 2025 and lacks a reliable signal-caller, Monson advised fading all Browns skill players in season-long leagues and avoiding Flacco stacks in DFS unless you’re chasing low-probability tournament volatility.

Steve Palazzolo said Joe Flacco is his clear pick to start Week 1 for Cleveland and could keep the job long enough to matter in fantasy. He pointed to Flacco’s surprisingly solid 2023 stint with the Colts, the return of four veteran linemen who have each posted multiple top-10 PFF seasons (Joel Bitonio, Ethan Pocic, Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin), and a "sneaky good" receiver trio of Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, and Deontay Johnson. Palazzolo argued that the line’s down 2024 was an outlier and expects a bounce-back that will give Flacco time to push the ball vertically. With Deshaun Watson’s drag on the locker room gone, he believes the Browns can "stumble into wins," making Flacco a cheap QB2 or late-round best-ball stack with Jeudy or Johnson.

Sam Monson laid out a scenario where Joe Flacco opens 2024 as a locker-room pacifier, starts the first month, then promptly loses the job once the Browns are 1-3 and veterans realize he is "not a good starting quarterback anymore." Monson expects Cleveland to flip to a rookie—most likely Dillon Gabriel—by October to appease the fanbase and accelerate evaluation. The takeaway for bettors: short Flacco in season-long passing props and target under 4.5 starts if that line appears. In best-ball formats, Monson views Flacco as nothing more than a late-round September plug-in whose value evaporates after the first waiver run.

Sam Monson cautioned bettors and fantasy managers not to overreact to Flacco’s feel-good resurgence. Over his Jets-Colts-Browns run he produced a respectable 14-TD/6-INT line, yet the PFF charting shows three big-time throws against seven turnover-worthy plays in one season and a negative BTT-to-TWP ratio across five years. Monson called that profile "poisonous" and warned the luck on those interceptions is unlikely to hold. He likened Flacco to the inverse of Jameis Winston—solid headline numbers masking shaky tape—arguing that expectation-adjusted EPA and turnover metrics project regression. For sportsbooks offering season-long passing prop overs or Browns win totals boosted by the Flacco narrative, Monson recommended the under.

Sam Monson said Joe Flacco is likely to open the season under center if Cleveland prioritizes immediate wins. He argued that veteran voices in the locker room—players like Myles Garrett—will push for the quarterback who gives them the best chance right now, and Flacco checks the obvious NFL-QB boxes: 6-foot-6 frame, still-strong arm and a recent track record of stabilizing offenses. Monson reminded listeners that Flacco rescued the 2023 Browns down the stretch, guiding them to a playoff berth after similar stretches with the Jets where the offense functioned best when he played. Because those veterans remember that taste of January football, Monson believes Flacco enters camp with an inside track to the starting job, making him a viable late-round flier in best-ball drafts and an early sprinkle in any “Week 1 starter” prop markets.

Jim Coventry encouraged super-flex managers to grab Joe Flacco as a low-risk QB2/3. ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe and other beat writers say Flacco is favored to start over Kenny Pickett, Dylan Gabriel, and Shadur Sanders. Coventry pointed out that in 18 starts across the last three seasons (Jets, Colts, Browns) Flacco averaged 1.67 passing TDs. In 2023 he scored at least 16 fantasy points in seven of eight starts—most of them topping 20. With David Njoku finishing as the TE1 over Flacco’s final five games, Cedric Tillman flashing before a concussion, and newcomer Jerry Jeudy added, Flacco has more than enough weaponry to sustain mid-QB2 numbers at a fringe draft cost.

Coventry likes grabbing Joe Flacco around QB34 in best-ball or deep leagues because ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe calls him the favorite to start. Flacco has tossed 30 touchdowns in his last 18 games across three bad teams (1.67 per game) and logged 1,700 yards in seven starts last season. Interceptions may pile up, but that only fuels passing volume and fantasy points. For essentially free, managers get a live-armed veteran capable of multi-TD weeks.

Jim Coventry argued that drafters are sleeping on Joe Flacco, currently QB34, even though ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe says Flacco is the favorite to start in Cleveland. Over his last 18 games with the Jets, Colts and Browns, the veteran has tossed 30 TDs (1.67 per game) and averaged one interception per contest — a trade-off Coventry can live with at this price. In 2023 alone, Flacco posted at least 16 fantasy points in 7 of 8 starts, eclipsing 26.6 points in four of them. He already showed strong chemistry with David Njoku and should mesh with Cedric Tillman and Jerry Jeudy. With Kenny Pickett underwhelming and rookies Dylan Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders developmental, Coventry believes Flacco’s path to Week 1 snaps is clear, making him a prime super-late pick for managers who wait on QB.

Mike Wright reacted to Zach Jackson’s Athletic report that Joe Flacco is currently favored over Kenny Pickett to open Week 1 for Cleveland and laid out why that would be a windfall for fantasy gamers. Wright stressed that Flacco is still a "professional quarterback" capable of eclipsing 4,000 passing yards—something he believes Pickett flat-out cannot do, pointing to Pickett’s career-high seven TD passes and the lowest touchdown rate ever through 25 starts. Because Flacco is willing to test tight windows downfield, Wright bumped Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku up his projections, saying each would move into every-week starter territory if Flacco is under center. He also projected the Browns to jettison whichever veteran loses the competition, meaning an even clearer path to snaps for the winner. Season-long drafters, according to Wright, should build in upside for Browns pass-catchers now and be ready to pounce on Flacco as a late-round super-flex flier if the camp reports continue trending his way.

Wilson forecasted that Joe Flacco will open 2024 as Cleveland’s starting quarterback. He flat-out said he does not expect Deshaun Watson to ever take another snap for the Browns and doubts Kenny Pickett even makes the final roster. Cleveland drafted Dillon Gabriel in Round 3 and Shadur Sanders in Round 5, but Wilson views both picks as developmental. He believes both rookies will start at some point this season, yet Flacco’s experience and last year’s late-season form give him the inside track for Week 1. Actionable angle: in superflex and season-long leagues, stash Flacco late and fade Watson in drafts; bettors looking at Browns Week-1 lines should price Flacco in, not Watson.