The Cleveland Browns offense continues to show very little life this season after they failed to score a touchdown offensively in their loss to the Eagles last week. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski continues to say Deshaun Watson gives the team the best chance to win despite how awful he has played week after week. If he continues to struggle, the relevance of Browns players in fantasy each week will continue to be as bye-week replacements for other players on your roster or as injury replacements.
The team moved on from struggling wide receiver Amari Cooper on Tuesday, but he wasn’t doing much from the fantasy side of things, with only one game in which he scored double-digit points this season. Jerome Ford leads the Browns in fantasy points among skill position players. He is the only player on the roster outside quarterback Deshaun Watson to average double-digit fantasy points this year.
Though Cooper wasn’t producing much in fantasy, his target share will now be divided amongst the remaining players, which should make guys like Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku more fantasy- relevant in the coming weeks. The Bengals' defense hasn’t been great this season, but the Browns have faced several bad defenses during their four-game losing streak, and it hasn’t helped one of the league's worst offenses.
All signs point to Nick Chubb's return, and Jerome Ford's injury could really shake up fantasy scoring this week for the Browns. Cleveland will likely have Chubb on some sort of pitch count in his first game in over a calendar year, so it’s too early to start him, but if anyone can come back with a big performance, it’s Nick Chubb. Here is this week's Start 'Em Sit 'Em for the Cleveland Browns as they clash with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Start 'Em: David Njoku, TE
In his second game back from injury, tight end David Njoku looked healthy and back to his old self. Njoku might be one of the players who see more targets with the absence of Amari Cooper after his trade to Buffalo. Njoku is at his best after the catch, and with a struggling offense desperate for consistency and firepower, short passes in space to the tight end could be just what they need. Cincinnati's defense has struggled to contain opposing tight ends so far this season, with the seventh-most yards per catch average against them, making this an excellent matchup for Njoku.
Sit 'Em: Jerome Ford, RB
There is a good chance that Jerome Ford will not play against the Bengals this week after missing practice on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury. If Ford does play, he will see a reduction in snaps and touches, with Nick Chubb expected back and D’Onta Foreman getting touches as well. Ford is still worth stashing on your bench because even when Chubb isn’t on a pitch count, he will still get touches as the change of pace compliments Chubb. If Ford does play, he will likely also be limited, so it’s best to keep him on the bench this week.
Sit 'Em: Jerry Jeudy, WR
With Cooper gone, Jerry Jeudy is the new de facto wide receiver one for the Cleveland Browns moving forward. Even though he will likely see more targets this week, he has had two receptions in the last two weeks combined. Though he had a dropped touchdown during that time, it is hard to justify starting him with such low production these past couple of games. On top of that, the Cincinnati Bengals defense has been one of the better fantasy defenses, limiting opposing wide receivers and making it a bad matchup for Jeudy. Though he shouldn’t be started this week, stashing Jeudy on the bench is still a solid plan for a bye week and injury replacement down the road.
Start 'Em: Cleveland Browns Defense
One of the most consistent things that has happened during Kevin Stefanski’s tenure in Cleveland is how well the team plays against the Bengals. Cincinnati allowed four sacks last week against the New York Giants and has struggled at times this year to keep quarterback Joe Burrow upright. The Browns' defense might get Juan Thornhill back this week, and they have played well in recent weeks even without the offense helping them out. If Cleveland can get pressure on Burrow consistently and limit big plays, they may be able to get a turnover or two and have a solid fantasy outing.