Cleveland Browns fantasy football: start ‘em, sit ‘em

Start: Jarvis Landry

Wide Receiver Jarvis Landry comes into the 2020 season as a proven asset on the Cleveland Browns offense. Tallying up over 80 catches in each of his two seasons with the team, he’s been a reliable target for Baker Mayfield to look to whenever he needs to find an open man.

Much like Nick Chubb, Landry had a monster game in the September match-up against the Baltimore Ravens in 2019, hauling in eight catches for 167 yards. He still performed pretty well in the second match-up of the season as well, getting 74 yards on seven catches.

While the Baltimore Ravens secondary has undergone some changes since last season, most notably the release of safety Earl Thomas, they’re still a talented unit on defensive backs that could create problems.

However, Jarvis Landry has the kind of potential to blow up against the Ravens much like he did last season. He may not be someone you want as your top receiving option, but using him as a flex will probably net you a fair amount of points in your week 1 fantasy lineup. If you’re struggling between Jarvis Landry and another option, go with Landry. He’s likely going to try to go off against the hated division rival once more.

Sit: Kareem Hunt

Following the announcement of the Browns extending running back Kareem Hunt, everyone was excited that the primary backup to Nick Chubb would remain in Cleveland for two more seasons. Hunt is good enough to be a starter for most any team, and is a huge pass-catching threat coming out of the backfield.

As good as he is in relief of Chubb and as a pass-catcher, however, you may want to press pause on that hype, for this week at least. The Baltimore Ravens allowed the fewest receptions to running backs in 2019 and only allowed one touchdown reception from a running back. With that being what Hunt does best, as he had 37 catches in just eight games in 2019, you may want to sit Hunt this week.

You can always find value at the running back position, as many teams utilize multiple running backs in their game plan. Kareem Hunt has a bad match-up in Week 1, and isn’t worth the risk of being a bust in your lineup. You can expect Chubb to get the bulk of the carries, limiting Hunt’s potential on getting points via rushing yards or rushing touchdowns.

Just play it safe this week and look for an alternative running back. Kareem Hunt will be valuable for the Cleveland Browns this season, and you’ll have your weeks where playing him will pay off handsomely. Just not this week, not against the Baltimore Ravens.