Baker Mayfield's Fantasy Outlook as Browns' Starting QB

The Cleveland Browns will announce that Baker Mayfield is their starting quarterback for Week 4 on Monday, according to a report from Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, and as always, the fantasy implications of that decision must be unpacked.

Namely, is Mayfield worthy of starting going forward?

Maybe. But probably not. 

Let's start with the good. Mayfield was superb in relief duty against the New York Jets on Thursday night, completing 17 of his 23 passes for 201 yards while leading Cleveland to its first win since the 2016 season. The Browns trailed the Jets 14-0 when Mayfield entered the game in the second quarter before he led the comeback charge. 

"It was as good as I thought live," Browns head coach Hue Jackson said, per Cabot. "[Mayfield] made some tremendous throws. Obviously, he was able to move the team. Played with some rhythm. Got the ball into the playmakers' hands and gave them chances to make plays. There are some things that he has to clean up obviously."

Mayfield obviously has talent. He has playmakers on offense, even with Josh Gordon now in New England. And he has opportunity. 

What he doesn't have, however, is a thin position in fantasy football. 

Quarterback, quite frankly, is loaded. Patrick Mahomes has already thrown for 10 touchdown passes. Ryan Fitzpatrick is lighting it up in Tampa Bay. Philip Rivers is playing like he's 26, not 36. Blake Bortles threw for 376 yards and four touchdowns last week. Heck, Andy Dalton tossed four touchdowns last week. 

The point is this: At a loaded position, Mayfield is a QB2 consideration, even in 16-team leagues most weeks. At least until he proves he can consistently produce.

And rookie quarterbacks usually struggle to consistently produce. It's the most mentally demanding position in football, and rarely do rookie quarterbacks post elite fantasy numbers. There are exceptions—for a few weeks last year, for instance, Deshaun Watson lit up the NFL and fantasy matchups to boot. 

It's risky to bank on that with any consistency from a first-year quarterback, however. 

So in keeper and dynasty leagues, yes, add Mayfield. If you lack quarterback depth, he's a guy worth taking a flier on as your QB2. If he produces with any consistency, he might be a worthy streamer against appealing matchups going forward. 

But don't expect him to be an elite fantasy producer right away. History suggests that simply won't be the case.