Fantasy fallout: Impact of Browns trading Baker Mayfield

After months of speculation, the Baker Mayfield era in Cleveland is over. The Browns traded the former No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday, getting a 2024 fifth-round draft pick in return.

The relationship between the disgruntled quarterback and the Browns began to sour at the beginning of the offseason and his ouster was all but set in stone with the organization’s controversial decision to trade for Deshaun Watson. The QB-needy Panthers were immediately tabbed as a likely trade partner and now a deal has finally been struck just weeks out from the start of training camp.

Here, we’ll go over the fantasy impact of this move for Cleveland.

Fantasy football analysis: Browns

Fantasy outlook for Deshaun Watson, Jacoby Brissett

With Mayfield out of the picture, the biggest question for Cleveland is now the status of Deshaun Watson and how long a potential suspension he’ll serve at the start of the 2022 season. Brissett started five games for the Dolphins last season, throwing 1,283 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions in the process. He wasn’t much of a fantasy option then and he’ll mostly just hand the ball off to Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt while the organization awaits Watson’s suspension to end.

How trade impacts Amari Cooper, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt

The quarterback situation for Cleveland is quite muddled given Watson’s potential suspension. With Brissett under the center, the Browns would be likely to run the ball more which would elevate Chubb and Hunt in fantasy formats. Cooper would still be the primary receiver but his value diminishes significantly without Watson. If the NFL doesn’t suspend Watson, this offense will be quite electric and all three players would have fantasy value.