The Cleveland Browns talent is more than a fantasy
The Cleveland Browns have not been to known to have good players to have on fantasy teams, but that figures to change during the 2018 season.
If you play Fantasy Football, then you know that the Cleveland Browns were not considered a fantasy coach’s dream. However, the influx of talent at the skill positions could make a lot of Cleveland Browns desirable targets on your draft night.
For far too many years, the Browns roster has been a wasteland for fantasy football enthusiasts. In recent years, die-hard loyalists might stash a player like Duke Johnson on their roster and hopefully play him on a week where he put up decent numbers. Players like Peyton Hillis and Braylon Edwards have been one-year wonders. And up until this year the same could be said of Josh Gordon.
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That could be changing. In a preseason report for cbssports.com, Senior Fantasy Writer Heath Cummings believes the needle is pointing up for the Browns. When is the last time you’ve heard someone make this comment. “The Cleveland Browns have too many players. Too many good players. What universe is this?”
As Cummings breaks down the roster, there is fantasy value at every level. At quarterback, Cummings sees Tyrod Taylor as a borderline top-12 quarterback. When has that sentence about a Browns quarterback been uttered, ever? Praise is also heaped on the additions of Carlos Hyde and Nick Chubb. Cummings cites Matt Waldman of Football Guys saying this of Nick Chubb:
Nick Chubb has the highest grade of any back I studied in past five years.
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) April 27, 2018
Ironically, these two backs may diminish the fantasy value of Johnson – arguably the one player with fantasy value on the Browns offense the last two years. And then he gets around to the Browns receiving core that includes Gordon, Jarvis Landry and David Njoku.
All of this talent, however, can be a fantasy owner’s headache. The Browns could be an example of a team where the fantasy value of different skill players may rise and fall each week and be very game plan specific. All of this points to the ability of offensive coordinator Todd Haley to feed a lot of mouths.
While Cummings cites Haley’s tendencies over the last three years, I think you might have to go back to his years as offensive coordinator with the Arizona Cardinals to predict how he might be able to spread the wealth.
Next: Five bold predictions for Browns in 2018
All in all, fantasy owners should have a lot of reasons to pay close attention to the Cleveland Browns as they consider their fantasy draft. However, the bigger question for Browns fans is if fantasy football is a predictor of regular season success?