7 ruled out (and 5 questionable) for Browns ahead of daunting Bears test

The Cleveland Browns’ chances of upsetting the 9-4 Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday just got a lot tougher.

Per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, the Browns ruled out four starters on Friday, and seven players overall for Week 15.

The most prominent name on the list is No. 1 cornerback Denzel Ward, who’s been managing a calf injury this week and couldn’t get there. The injury will prevent Ward from achieving his quest of playing in every regular season game for the first time in his career; though, for a 3-10 Browns team that’s now eliminated from playoff contention, the team’s rightfully taking no chances with its franchise defensive back.

Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Cleveland’s offense, however, will take the brunt of this week’s injury news. The Browns will be without tight end David Njoku, dynamic No. 2 running back Dylan Sampson, and starting offensive linemen Wyatt Teller and Jack Conklin against the Bears. The team also ruled out reserve defensive tackle Aidin Huntington and quarterback Deshaun Watson, who will remain on injured reserve for at least another week.

Veteran left guard Joel Bitonio and rookie defensive tackle Mason Graham are among those listed as questionable to suit up for the 1 p.m. (EST) kickoff.

Browns’ Week 15 injury report could have major implications for Shedeur Sanders (and fantasy football managers everywhere)

The Browns were already prepping Sanders to face the NFL’s No. 1 defense in terms of generating takeaways. Sanders could face a higher degree of difficulty with backups playing at center and right guard (at least).

In the world of fantasy football, the injuries to Njoku and Sampson should create even more opportunities in the passing game for tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.

Fannin has already been a fantasy gold mine this year, but after seeing 11 targets last week, and with touchdown catches from Sanders in back-to-back games, the rookie figures to rocket up the tight end rankings for Week 15 as Cleveland’s clear No. 1 target; per analyst Derek Brown, Chicago has allowed the 12th-most receiving yards per game and the 13th-most fantasy points per game to tight ends this season.

The team will carry running back Trayveon Williams on the active roster, after signing him off the Chargers practice squad this week. Rookie Raheim Sanders could also be in the mix, but Quinshon Judkins should continue in a bell-cow role as he looks to climb closer to a 1,000-yard rookie season; the former Ohio State star enters Week 15 with 784 yards on 210 carries.

As for Sanders, who’s coming off his best day as a pro after amassing 393 combined yards and four touchdowns, Sunday’s stat line against Chicago figures to look a lot different. With the injuries up front, head coach Kevin Stefanski will likely craft a conservative game plan given Chicago’s ball-hawking defense, and the sub-zero wind chills expected the whip around Soldier Field at game time.