Fantasy Football Quarterback Updates on Dillon Gabriel, Lamar Jackson and More

We are just four games into the NFL regular season, but there's been a ton of quarterback news just about every week.

From injuries to starting changes, let's break down some recent news surrounding quarterbacks. We'll cover Dillon Gabriel, Lamar Jackson, J.J. McCarthy, Jayden Daniels and Brock Purdy.

Check out fantasy football injury news all season on FantasySP.

Gabriel Named Browns Starter

The Joe Flacco experiment in Cleveland in 2025 appears to be over. Gabriel will start in week 5, and we might get rookie quarterback play the rest of the way for the Browns.

Flacco hasn't looked good in any of the team's four games, even though the Browns won one of those games. He has completed just 58.1% of his passes for 815 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions. He's rushed for 13 yards on six attempts, been sacked nine times and fumbled twice.

The Browns' offense has been one of the worst in the league so far, so a change was imminent. Gabriel will get the first crack at things instead of Shedeur Sanders. 

Gabriel has appeared in two games so far, playing 10 total snaps. He is 3-of-4 passing for 19 yards, a touchdown and no picks. 

In the preseason, Gabriel completed 67.6% of his passes for 272 yards, a touchdown and a pick across two games. He was sacked twice and rushed for a yard on two carries.

I thought Flacco gave the offense a little something, at least more than the rookies could offer, but now, I'd say I don't know how Gabriel (or Sanders) could play worse than Flacco has so far.

I'm not saying that the team's pass catchers and offensive playmakers are all getting big fantasy boosts, but I just don't see things getting worse.

Quinshon Judkins has been the team's top fantasy player (despite only playing three of the four games). He'll remain a good fantasy asset from here on out, most likely, so this QB change doesn't affect him too much.

Cedric Tillman has been the top pass catcher, but just hit the injured reserve list. Maybe that will help Jerry Jeudy finally get going, as he's struggled big time in the early going. The Tillman injury could also open things up for Isaiah Bond to start producing more.

The move from Flacco to Gabriel doesn't move the needle a ton for any pass catchers, at least not right away. Depending on how the rookie QB looks in his first game will determine which Cleveland wideouts might be fantasy assets moving forward.

Tight end Harold Fannin has been the second-best fantasy pass catcher so far, while David Njoku has struggled to get rolling. Both should remain heavily involved with Tillman now out, and having Gabriel back there maybe boosts the tight ends each a bit.

Overall though, the move from Flacco to Gabriel shouldn't have a massive fantasy impact on the Browns' fantasy playmakers. We'll see if Gabriel can jumpstart the offense and make several guys better fantasy options.

Gabriel is worth an add in deep redraft fantasy leagues, but is most valuable in dynasty/keeper leagues.

Jackson Banged Up

Jackson has a hamstring injury, and is expected to miss the team's next game. There's a chance he misses 2-3 weeks in total.

That'd be a brutal blow for a Ravens' team that is 1-3 already. Jackson is obviously an MVP candidate, so this injury will likely take him out of the running for that honor too, while also decimating his fantasy owners.

Most fantasy owners who drafted Jackson didn't have a backup quarterback, so they are scrambling to find a replacement. The best course of action would be to find a streaming option for each week Jackson ends up missing.

Jackson's absence would be a huge blow to the Ravens' offense. Cooper Rush is likely to start in place of Jackson.

Rush has been in the league eight years, and has made 14 starts across 40 appearances. He has completed 60.9% of his passes, while throwing 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Rush was 9-of-13 in relief of Jackson in week 4, but that was in a lopsided game against the Chiefs.

Derrick Henry has already been struggling this season, so Jackson being out is only going to allow defenses to key on him more. Henry might actually not be a locked-in starter right now, as crazy as that might seem.

Justice Hill delivered good numbers on several touches in the team's last game, and could be utilized a decent amount with Rush back there. Hill is just a deep-league fantasy option, but could start in a decent amount of leagues still.

Zay Flowers has been the team's top fantasy asset outside Jackson. His fantasy stock takes a hit if Rush is back there, but he's still a starting option in standard leagues, and a must-start guy in deeper setups.

Mark Andrews has underwhelmed this season, and isn't locked into a starting spot in standard leagues as long as Jackson is out. At a weak TE spot, he'll probably get plenty of starts still.

Isaiah Likely is the backup tight end, and hasn't done anything yet this season, although he's only played one game. I wouldn't trust him with Rush back there outside the deepest of fantasy leagues.

DeAndre Hopkins, Rashod Bateman, Devontez Walker and Tylan Wallace are better deep-league assets to begin with, and definitely should only be starting in those leagues if Rush is running the offense.

The Jackson injury is definitely a blow to the Ravens' offense, and everyone takes at least a little hit with his absence.

McCarthy Practicing Again

McCarthy has been out since week 2 with a high ankle sprain.

He led a big comeback in week 1, but didn't really play all that well in either game. Carson Wentz has just been so-so in his two starts for Minnesota.

I probably trust Wentz a little more as a fantasy asset right now, even though McCarthy has a bit higher ceiling with some rushing ability. I'd trust the Vikings' other offensive playmakers more with Wentz back there.

Really though, guys like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson all have had a bit lower fantasy outlook this season because of the team's quarterback play. The only Viking I really like at the moment is Jordan Mason, and he's a better fantasy asset because Aaron Jones Sr. is out.

Everyone is starting Jefferson weekly regardless of his QB, but the other pass catchers are not locked-in standard league starters. I'd say Addison and Hockenson are both flex-level guys, but still will probably start in a majority of leagues.

Mason is really the only other Viking I'd want to be starting right now, and a lot of his fantasy outlook depends on the opponent.

Daniels Nearing Return?

Daniels reportedly had a strong workout on Saturday and hopes to ramp up in practice and be back playing games soon. 

Washington has gone 1-1 without Daniels, but he'd definitely give a fantasy outlook boost to every offensive playmaker when he gets back on the field. Marcus Mariota has filled in admirably, but Daniels is viewed as a top-end fantasy QB for a reason.

He'll be a weekly starter when he's back on the field, and will elevate the outlooks for Terry McLaurin (when he returns from his injury), Deebo Samuel Sr. and Zach Ertz.

The Washington backfield is still a mess, but having Daniels around will give every back a bit better outlook, as defenses will focus first on the QB. Jacory Croskey-Merritt seems like the top back, but Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols are factoring in enough to make all three guys deep-league options only right now. Favorable matchups could get them into standard league starting territory, but they are risky options still.

Purdy Iffy for Thursday?

The Niners play on Thursday against the Rams, and Purdy's injury status is again worth watching. He has a sore toe, which is an ailment that contributed to him missing a couple games already.

Mac Jones would get another start if Purdy cannot go. The San Fran offense has done fine with either quarterback back there, so while Purdy is definitely the preferred option, you shouldn't have many concerns if Jones has to start again.

Christian McCaffrey is the fantasy stud on the Niners, and should be an auto-start every week.

Ricky Pearsall has been the top fantasy player outside CMC, but is dealing with an injury of his own now. Jauan Jennings is also banged up, and on a short week, the Niners might end up sitting both wideouts. 

We'll cover the Niners more in upcoming stories, but Kendrick Bourne and Demarcus Robinson could be headed to bigger roles if Pearsall and Jennings are out. Also don't be surprised if we see more of tight end Jake Tonges and running back Brian Robinson.