DillonGabriel

News: 6 hours agoBrowns head coach Kevin Stefansk said Thursday that Gabriel is set to play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Rams, entering the game second, after starter Joe Flacco and before Shedeur Sanders, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Spin: Gabriel and Sanders are competing for slotting behind Flacco, who has already been named the Week 1 starter and is in line to handle 25-30 snaps with the first-team offense Saturday. Meanwhile, Kenny Pickett (hamstring) will miss a third consecutive preseason game due to injury, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com. With roster cut-downs on deck next week, Saturday's game represents a crucial opportunity for both Gabriel and Sanders to put good reps on tape as they vie with Pickett for depth chart standing behind Flacco.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Gabriel was selected by Cleveland in the third round of April's draft. His 6.5 aDOT last season was easily the lowest in this rookie class, but he made it work, completing 73% of his passes and he was off target on a class-low 6.0% of his aimed throws. He was way more aggressive during multiyear stints at Oklahoma and UCF, and his overall collegiate efficiency is terrific, including QB rating (class-best 161) and QBR (78.8). He's an older prospect and undersized, but adds some value with his legs (career 311-1,895-33 line). Gabriel will begin his career behind Joe Flacco and will hope to earn starts ahead of he, Kenny Pickett and fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders this season. He'll be worth drafting in superflex only if he wins the job.