2 underused Browns who need more touches vs 49ers and one who needs fewer

Donovan Peoples-Jones needs more targets

While the Browns have found a way to move the ball on the ground this season, they've been a mess when it comes to the aerial attack. After four games, they have just 690 yards passing with four touchdowns and five picks. That lands them 30th in the league in yardage, which isn't going to cut it.

Part of the problem was Deshaun Watson missing Week 4 with a shoulder injury — and he will again be out in Week 6 so we shouldn't expect the offense to suddenly become the 1999 Los Angeles Rams.

Having said that, they've also been struggling due to an inability to consistently get the ball to their top receivers. Amari Cooper has had his moments, including 90 yards in Week 2 followed by 116 yards in Week 3 but he also had just 37 yards in the opener and 16 against Baltimore.

That's still much better than what we've seen from Donovan Peoples-Jones, who is fresh off a career year. After going for 839 yards on 61 receptions in 2022, DPJ has just six catches for 75 yards. He's still averaging a healthy 12.5 yards per reception but the ball just isn't finding him as much as it needs to.

Walker doesn't need to force things but it would be wise to find a way to get No. 11 active early. The more he can do to attract the attention of the secondary, the more everything else will open up for the rest of the offense.