Cleveland Browns Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Browns RB Jerome Ford carried 17 times for 107 yards in Sunday's comeback win over the Ravens. That not only marked a season high in rushing yardage for Ford (by 1 yard). He also led No. 2 RB Kareem Hunt by 7 carries. That gives Ford a 37-24 lead in rushing attempts over the past two weeks. Ford added just 1 catch for 2 yards on 1 target, but even that was the only RB target for Cleveland against the Ravens. Ford looks like the clear lead back for a run-friendly offense and has the potential to help your fantasy football team quite a bit down the stretch. After a neutral matchup with Pittsburgh in Week 11, Cleveland gets a high-upside matchup with Denver in Week 12. And the schedule finishes with the fourth-best RB schedule across weeks 15-17, according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed.

Browns QB Deshaun Watson appeared to injure his left ankle in the second quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Ravens. He was noticeably hobbled the rest of the way but was able to finish out the game. In fact, Watson went 14-of-14 for 134 yards and a score in the second half of the comeback win. Watson's foot was in a boot afterward, per insider Mary Kay Cabot, but he said he'll be fine for the Week 11 game vs. Pittsburgh. We'll keep a close eye on his status throughout the coming week.

Browns RB Pierre Strong (hamstring) is active for today’s game vs. the Ravens. He should continue to serve as the No. 3 RB behind Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt.

Browns RB Pierre Strong (hamstring) is questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Ravens. He got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday. Strong got just four touches last week and shouldn’t be in your fantasy plans. His absence would be a very slight boost for RBs Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt.

Bears RB D’Onta Foreman saw 21 carries for 80 rushing yards and a TD in Week 10 vs. the Panthers. He also contributed 2 catches for 12 yards as a receiver on Thursday night. This contest was the third time in four games that Foreman has rushed for 80 or more yards. He’s played well as the Bears RB1 with Khalil Herbert (ankle) out of the lineup since Week 5. But as good as Foreman has been, it’s worth remembering that Herbert practiced fully in the three days leading up to Thursday without being officially activated off IR. It’s reasonable to expect Herbert will return for Week 11 vs. the Lions and relegate Foreman back to spelling duty. Neither will be particularly appealing fantasy options against a Lions defense that ranks as the sixth-toughest RB matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed.

Browns RB Pierre Strong (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. He tallied just three carries and one target last week, so Strong's absence vs. the Ravens on Sunday would be just a slight boost to RBs Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt.

Browns WR Amari Cooper hauled all 5 of his targets for a team-high 139 receiving yards in Week 9’s win vs. the Ravens. QB Deshaun Watson’s return to the lineup was a welcomed change of pace for Cooper, as he’s now averaged 5.5 catches and 95.5 receiving yards in four games with Watson under center. In four games without Watson, Cooper only mustered 3.2 catches and 58.7 yards per game. TE David Njoku was also effective Sunday, logging 26 receiving yards and a TD on 4 catches in the contest. Next week’s matchup against the Ravens (first in pass defense DVOA in 2023) will bring them down a bit in fantasy value, however.

Browns RB Jerome Ford tallied 20 carries for 44 rushing yards in Week 9 vs. the Cardinals. The second-year back also added 5 catches and 33 yards as a pass-catcher on Sunday. Ford had seen a team-leading 41.6% of the Browns RB touch opportunities over the past four games and out-touched his teammate Kareem Hunt 25 to 14 this week. It seems the issues Ford had with his high ankle sprain of late are behind him. Week 10’s matchup vs. the Ravens (fifth in run defense DVOA) won’t be easy, but he should be involved enough to warrant RB2 consideration.

Browns QB Deshaun Watson completed 19 of 30 passes for 219 yards with 2 TD in Week 9’s win vs. the Cardinals. He also added 22 rushing yards on the ground in the contest. Watson was reasonably efficient in his return from a right shoulder injury, though he’ll have a much tougher test in Week 10. The Ravens’ defense ranks as the fourth-toughest QB matchups per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. He’s best viewed as a passable QB2 in superflex leagues only.

Bears RB D’Onta Foreman totaled 83 rushing yards on 20 carries in Week 9’s loss vs. the Saints. His teammate Roschon Johson did next to nothing in Sunday’s contest, ending with 3 touches for a combined 15 total yards. At this point, the Bears’ backfield belongs to Foreman. The veteran has averaged 15 carries, 67.8 rushing yards, and 13.4 PPR points per game over the past four contests in the absence of normal start Khalil Herbert. It’s worth noting that Herbert (high ankle sprain) will be eligible to return from IR for Week 10’s contest vs. the Panthers. We’ll see if he can make it back for the Thursday night bout, but we’ll be excited to start whichever Bears RB gets most of the work. The Panthers are the second-easiest scoring matchup for RBs on the season per our adjusted fantasy points allowed.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero says there's "optimism" from the Browns that QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) is back to pre-injury form. He reportedly looked much better in practice this week than he did leading up to Week 7. Watson, of course, lasted just 12 snaps in that game before giving way to QB P.J. Walker. We'd prefer to see a full and quality game from Watson before trusting him in fantasy lineups.

Browns RB Jerome Ford (ankle) is not listed on the final injury report for this weekend’s game vs. the Cardinals. He put in a full practice on Friday, which feels significant after he suffered what was reported as a low-grade high-ankle sprain in Week 7. Ford ended up playing in a 3-RB committee last week – but handled eight of 10 RB opportunities in the fourth quarter. We’re projecting Ford to lead Cleveland RBs in touches against Arizona on Sunday.

Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) will start Sunday's game vs. the Cardinals, HC Kevin Stefanski said Friday. Watson was listed as a full participant in Friday's practice and took the first-team reps in the portion of practice open to the media, according to insider Mary Kay Cabot. This will be Watson's second time returning from this shoulder injury in the past three weeks. The first go-around, he lasted just 12 snaps before giving way to QB P.J. Walker. There's theoretical upside here in a plus matchup against Arizona, but Watson would be a high-risk Week 9 fantasy play.

The Giants are signing K Cade York, HC Brian Daboll said Friday. He'll compete with K Randy Bullock for the right to kick for the Giants' 32nd-ranked scoring offense. You can continue to avoid this situation in all fantasy leagues.

Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) remained limited in Thursday's practice. He said afterward that his participation in practice is part of his rehab plan and doesn't necessarily mean that he's playing vs. the Cardinals this weekend. We're still projecting QB P.J. Walker to start that one but will update Watson's status again tomorrow.

Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) was limited in Wednesday's practice. It's an upgrade after he was sidelined all last week. The Cleveland media was impressed with the zip on Watson's passes early in practice, but HC Kevin Stefanski wouldn't say whether Watson will play vs. the Cardinals this weekend. We'll keep you updated on his status over the next few days.

Browns RB Jerome Ford (ankle) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. He surprisingly played vs. Seattle this past weekend, just a week after suffering what was reported as a low-grade high-ankle sprain. The fact that Ford was able to get on the field again this early in the week bodes well for his Week 9 outlook. We'll see if he gets in a full practice on Thursday or Friday, but he's clearly on track to play against Arizona.

The Bears’ running game was unsuccessful on Sunday night vs. the Chargers. Veteran back D’Onta Foreman led the team with 9 carries for 34 yards in the Week 8 contest. Rookie Roschon Johnson didn’t fare much better, accumulating 31 total yards on 9 touches. The only Chicago runner who produced fantasy-relevant numbers was Darrynton Evans. The former Titan caught 3 passes for 22 receiving yards and found the end zone on an 11-yard run late in the second quarter. On top of being a mess, this committee backfield is going up against a stout Saints run defense (13th in run defense DVOA entering this weekend) next Sunday. We’re not keen on starting any of them as more than flex options.

Browns WR Amari Cooper hauled 6 of 11 targets for a team-high 89 receiving yards in Week 8’s loss vs. the Seahawks. TE David Njoku also performed well, logging 77 receiving yards and a TD on 4 catches in the contest. Njoku has now seen at least 5 targets and passed 45 receiving yards in three of the last four games. Both are a names to consider starting next week’s matchup vs. the Cardinals.

Browns QB P.J. Walker completed 15 of 31 passes for 248 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs in Week 8’s loss vs. the Seahawks. The backup also added 27 rushing yards on the ground in the contest. Despite his issues with turnovers, Walker was able to crack double-digit fantasy points. It remains to be seen whether or not he or QB Deshaun Watson will be under center in Week 9 vs. the Cardinals.