FANTASY FOOTBALL NEWS

Jameis Winston In Line To Start Week 8

By Jared Smola | Updated on Wed, Oct 23 2024 2:02 AM UTC

The Browns plan to start QB Jameis Winston in Sunday's game against the Ravens, according to insider Jordan Schultz. "My understanding is Dorian Thompson-Robinson was [Deshaun] Watson’s backup on Sunday strictly from a gameplan standpoint," Schultz adds. That suggests that Cleveland is opting to go with Winston over Thompson-Robinson regardless of Thompson-Robinson's finger injury. That'd be good news for Cleveland's pass catchers going forward.

2024 Fantasy Football Impact

Winston is fun. He's fun for his pass catchers -- and he's fun for opposing defenses. He owns a career 61% completion rate, 7.7 yards per attempt, and 142 TDs vs. 99 INTs across 98 career games. His 4.9% TD rate and 3.4% INT rate are both well above the league averages.

The Browns are 9-point underdogs against the pass-funnel Ravens on Sunday, so Winston should be in for lots of pass volume. But with Cleveland sporting a 17.5-point implied total and an underwhelming group of pass catchers, Winston isn't a recommended starter in 1-QB fantasy leagues. He's a fine play in 2-QB and superflex.

Winston boosts the upside on TE David Njoku -- who's an easy fantasy starter -- and WRs Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, and Elijah Moore. See where all of those guys land in the Week 8 Rankings.

Jared Smola, Lead Analyst

Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and in-season tools. He currently ranks ninth among 173 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.