The Browns have cycled through quarterbacks since 1999, turning a once-stable position into a revolving door that reshaped fantasy expectations year to year. Joe Flacco being named starter for 2025 caps a long arc of uncertainty, with familiar names like Couch, Detmer, Hoyer, Mayfield, and Watson flashing peak value only in fits and bursts. For fantasy folks, the takeaway is that Cleveland’s offense often surges in spurts, then stalls as the QB carousel spins again.

Baker Mayfield stands out as the clearest high-ceiling era for fantasy in the Browns’ modern run, especially when health and supporting cast align. Deshaun Watson showed elite upside in brief windows, but suspensions and surrounding offense tempered weekly production. The longer the Browns go without a true stabilizing QB, the more weekly streaming and matchup-based decisions will define Cleveland fantasy outputs, particularly for pass-catchers and backfield work.

In practice, this history argues for a cautious but opportunistic approach: target Browns pass-catchers in favorable matchups and lean into streaming QBs when the defense slants toward them. With Flacco aboard in 2025, expect a mix of veteran steadiness and game-planned aggression that could unlock weeks of solid fantasy numbers, even if consistency remains a challenge across the season.