Browns RB Isaiah Crowell got the start in Thursday night's preseason opener.  He carried 3 times for 5 yards on the 1st-team offense's lone drive.  RB Terrance West got 1 carry on that series.  Both guys also saw action with the 2nd team and neither finished with impressive numbers.  Crowell is currently the favorite for lead-back duties in Cleveland, but the competition remains open.  It'll get more muddled when rookie RB Duke Johnson returns from his hamstring injury.

Browns RB Terrance West (calf) returned to practice on Saturday.  He ended up missing 6 days with the minor injury.  RB Duke Johnson (hamstring) remains sidelined, so West and RB Isaiah Crowell will dominate 1st-team reps for the time being.  West reportedly showed up to camp overweight and has drawn the ire of the coaching staff for his practice habits, but last year's 3rd-rounder is still in the mix for a significant role.

Browns RBs Duke Johnson and Terrance West both left the field with injuries Saturday. Cleveland.com reports that Johnson suffered a hamstring injury in team drills. "I'll be all right," Johnson said. "I've experienced much worse. I just felt something in my hamstring, stopped for precautionary reasons. We're going to take a look at it today." West then suffered a calf injury shortly thereafter. "I'm good," he said on his way into the facility. "About to get it checked on now. I'll be back tomorrow. I'll be back." If each issue proves as minor as the player seems to think, then neither should see an impact in fantasy football drafts. We'll see how quickly they can return.

Browns RB Terrance West took the first starter reps in training camp on Thursday.  He'll rotate with RBs Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson throughout August, but this is confirmation that West remains in the competition for the starting job -- and might even be in the lead.  Fantasy drafters haven't been giving West any love, pushing his ADP into the 13th round.  Crowell and Johnson are going in the 5th and 7th, respectively.  West is easily the best value among the 3.

Browns insider Nate Ulrich considers RB Isaiah Crowell the favorite to win the starting job heading into training camp.  RB Terrance West "will receive chances to earn carries," according to Ulrich.  The Browns aren't counting on RB Duke Johnson becoming the starter "right away," although they hope he can develop into a lead back eventually.  The rookie is expected to primarily play in a pass-catching role this season.  The dynamic of Cleveland's backfield will be worth monitoring closely in August.  But this could turn into a committee attack on a subpar offense.  West remains our favorite target among the 3, only because he's going 8 rounds after Crowell and 6 rounds after Johnson.  You might be best off just avoiding the situation in drafts.

The Browns will ride the "hot hand" at RB this season, according to Kevin Jones of the team's official website.  "Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo has made it clear there won’t be an exact science for how carries are distributed," Jones adds.  Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West figure to duke it out for early-down work on a weekly basis, with rookie Duke Johnson mixing in and contributing in the passing game.  It could be a headache for fantasy owners.  West looks like the best investment in the Cleveland backfield right now because his ADP is sitting in the 13th round.  Crowell and West are going in the 5th and 7th rounds, respectively.

The Browns added RB Duke Johnson to their backfield in the 3rd round.  The Miami product is a smallish 5'9 and 207 pounds and dealt with injuries over his final 2 college seasons.  But he's lightning quick and 1 of the best pass-catching backs in this class, racking up 38 catches, 421 yards and 3 TDs this past season.  Johnson joins Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West in a crowded Browns backfield.  The rookie is most likely to serve as a change-of-pace back at least for 2015.

Browns OC Kyle Shanahan requested and was granted his release from the team.  His 1 year in Cleveland featured an up-and-down Brian Hoyer, the Johnny Manziel mess and an unpredictable RB rotation.  The Browns finished 2014 ranked 23rd in total yards and 27th in points.  Shanahan's offense was supposed to be a good fit for Manziel, so it's tough to consider this good news for last year's 1st-rounder.  But RBs Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West might be the biggest losers.  The Shanahan Offense has always produced big RB numbers.  We'll see who Cleveland tabs to replace Little Shanny.

Browns RB Terrance West will start today's game against the Ravens, according to CBS' Jason La Canfora.  It's just another turn in a backfield that's been a carousel all season.  West and Isaiah Crowell figure to split touches, making both weak fantasy play against the league's #1 RB defense.

Browns RB Terrance West was active for Sunday's game against the Panthers but didn't play a single snap.  HC Mike Pettine said afterward that it was a result of a poor week of practice for the rookie.  After getting off to a strong start, West has fallen behind fellow rookie Isaiah Crowell over the 2nd half of the season.  Crowell will head into the offseason as the favorite to be Cleveland's lead RB in 2015.  He was always the bigger talent.

Browns RB Isaiah Crowell (hip) is active for today’s game against the Colts. That hip looked good enough in pregame warmups. Crowell isn’t the safest play, but there’s plenty of upside vs. an Indy run defense allowing 4.4 yards per carry.

The Browns expect RB Isaiah Crowell (hip) to play against the Colts today, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.  "He'll test it pregame," Rapoport adds.  Crowell won't be at 100%, which adds risk to his Week 14 profile.  But his combination of talent and matchup gives him tons of upside.  We'll have his official status by noon.

Browns RB Isaiah Crowell (hip) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game against the Colts. He put in limited practices on Thursday and Friday, and most signs point to him playing. We’ll know his official status by noon ET on Sunday. If active, Crowell will be an upside RB2 in the plus matchup – albeit with some added risk because of the hip issue.

Browns RB Isaiah Crowell (hip) returned to a limited practice on Thursday and expects to play against the Colts this weekend.  "I'll be able to go (Sunday)," he said.  "It was nothing major."  We'll have another update on Crowell tomorrow, but plan on using him as an upside RB2 in a plus matchup.

Browns HC Mike Pettine revealed that RB Isaiah Crowell has a hip injury.  Pettine added that he's "hopeful" Crowell will be able to play against the Colts this weekend.  That's a plus matchup with a defense allowing 4.4 yards per carry to RBs.  Check back tomorrow for an update on Crowell.

Browns HC Mike Pettine hinted that RB Terrance West's playing time may dwindle because of his fumbling problem.  "Ball security is a priority for our running backs," Pettine said. "West lately has been very careless with the football."   West has put the ball on the turf in 2 straight games, including a lost fumble yesterday that went the other way for a Bills TD.  Pettine suggested that #3 RB Glenn Winston could see some action going forward, but the real winner is RB Isaiah Crowell.  Look for him to see a bigger piece of the backfield pie going forward.  He's a solid RB2 for this coming weekend's game against the Colts' 27th-ranked RB defense.

The Browns RB carousel continues to spin.  Isaiah Crowell is listed as the starting RB for today's game against the Texans.  Crowell is Cleveland's most talented RB and has been the most efficient this season.  We're still likely looking at a 3-man committee today, but Crowell now looks like the best fantasy bet among the 3.

So, what should we expect the Browns' backfield to look like the rest of the way? Here's what HC Mike Pettine had to say Saturday, per ESPN.com: "We have options, and we can steer it a couple different ways. (The versatility) can be problematic for a defense, as well, but I’m not going to sit here and say 'we’re committed to a three-running back system, here’s how we’re going to do it.' I would still put it in the week-to-week category." That means the practice competition for touches figures to continue, and fantasy owners will be frustrated plenty more times. At least Pettine didn't indicate that RB Isaiah Crowell's near fumble has knocked him out of the competition. We'd still consider Terrance West the best weekly candidate for carries, with Ben Tate the lowest-ceiling player.