Browns name Deshaun Watson their Week 1 starter
Published
Deshaun WatsonQB · CLEWhat was reported
Sourced report
Cleveland has settled its opening-week quarterback depth chart, with Watson set to start and Sanders serving as the backup. That gives Watson the near-term path to first-team snaps, but it does not establish a broad fantasy projection or remove the need to monitor Cleveland's regular-season offense.
Status basis: high trust source
Fantasy impact
In superflex formats, Watson now has a confirmed Week 1 starting role; Sanders is a bench stash rather than an opening-week starter.
Original sources
FFT analysis does not replace the original reporting.
- Kelsey RussoPrimary
The Cleveland Browns announced that head coach Todd Monken named Deshaun Watson the starting quarterback for the 2026 regular-season opener at Jacksonville. The club said Shedeur Sanders remains the backup, and Monken said the decision was not intended to be week to week.