Pierre Strong Jr. Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Browns and RB Nick Chubb have agreed to a salary adjustment for 2024, the final year on his contract. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the change drops Chubb's cap hit from $15.85 million to $6.275 million -- with incentives that could bring his salary back up to $12.2 million. You could read this several different ways. It's positive that Cleveland didn't simply cut Chubb, which would have cost just $4 million in dead cap space, according to Spotrac. But Chubb's new salary knocks him to 11th among RBs in total money for 2024, behind Tony Pollard and Aaron Jones; barely ahead of Devin Singletary and Miles Sanders. Chubb no doubt believes he can achieve at least some of the performance incentives and drive that number back up. But it also appears he wasn't willing to test the open market for higher 2024 earnings. Ultimately, it's way too early for fantasy managers to know what we can expect from the veteran RB. Chubb's multi-ligament knee injury in September has required surgeries then and in November. We haven't seen much on his return timeline. The Browns, meanwhile, have added RBs D'Onta Foreman and Nyheim Hines this offseason. Both signed small, one-year deals that don't come close to guaranteeing offensive roles. (Hines probably arrives to primarily return kicks.) But they join Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong as backfield insurance. We're staying away from Chubb at his RB27 best ball ADP, which still has him ahead of Javonte Williams, Austin Ekeler, and Zamir White, among others. The crowded depth chart behind Chubb also makes it a risky backfield for investing in backups.

Browns RB Pierre Strong (back) is inactive for today's Wild Card game vs. the Texans. That leaves a few extra touches to go around for RBs Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt.

Browns RB Pierre Strong (back) is questionable for Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the Texans. He shouldn't be in your fantasy plans, but his absence would leave a few extra touches for RBs Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt. We'll get Cleveland's inactives around 3 pm ET on Saturday.

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.

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 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 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 Browns’ backfield is a bit of a cluster, though, at this point, it’s evident that RB Kareem Hunt is the leader. The veteran tallied 14 carries for 55 rushing yards in Week 8 vs. the Seahawks and punched in his fourth rushing TD over the past three games. Teammate Pierre Strong Jr. had a nice game spelling Hunt with 41 rushing yards on 10 carries and a long, 41-yard reception as a receiver in the contest. Though coming into Sunday with a sprained ankle, a fact that holds some weight, it’ll be curious to see if Jerome’s Ford diminished involvement (39 total yards, 10 touches) is a sign of things to come moving forward. Hunt will be our favorite fantasy start in Week 9 vs. the Cardinals.

Browns RB Jerome Ford (ankle) is active for today’s game vs. the Seahawks. He went down with what was reported as a low-grade high-ankle sprain just last week. But Ford has evidently made a surprisingly quick recovery. It’s still safe to assume that he'll be at far less than 100% today, though. He’d be a risky fantasy start. See where Ford sits in the Week 8 RB Rankings.

Browns RB Jerome Ford (ankle) "wants and intends" to play vs. the Seahawks today, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. "But Cleveland wants to see how he looks and feels in pre-game warmups before allowing it," Schefter adds. Ford returned to a limited practice on Friday after suffering what Schefter reported as a low-grade high-ankle sprain just last week. It's safe to assume that he'll be at less than 100% if he suits up. We'd try to avoid using Ford in Week 8 fantasy lineups. His presence would be a ding to RB Kareem Hunt's Week 8 outlook, although he'd still be in the RB3 mix. We won't get Cleveland's inactives until a little after 2:30 pm ET.

Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that QB P.J. Walker will start this weekend's game vs. the Seahawks. "I just feel like with what happened in the game, landing on his shoulder, there's residual swelling that's affecting his throwing," Stefanski said of QB Deshaun Watson. "I think it's the best thing for him to rest this week and focus on the rehab." Considering Watson was out for three weeks the first time he hurt his shoulder, it's certainly possible that he misses more than one game this time around. Expect another run-heavy game plan from Cleveland in Seattle this weekend.

Browns RB Jerome Ford is expected to miss 1-2 weeks with a “low grade, high ankle” sprain, a source tells ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's relatively good news, but Ford owners will be without him at least for Sunday's game vs. the Seahawks. That'll leave Cleveland's backfield to RBs Kareem Hunt and Pierre Strong. We'll see if Ford can make it back for Week 9.

Browns RB Kareem Hunt ran 10 times for 31 yards and 2 TDs, including the game-winner Sunday against the Colts. The latter came from 1 yard out after Jerome Ford had left the game. But Hunt's other score came from 2 yards out early in the second quarter. That marks the second straight game in which he has scored from inside the red zone with Jerome Ford available. If Ford can't go in Week 8, then Hunt would make for a solid RB2 against the Seahawks. Pierre Strong also came on for 25 yards on 8 carries against the Colts.

Browns RB Jerome Ford suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Colts and is officially questionable to return. That leaves Cleveland's backfield to Kareem Hunt and Pierre Strong. We'll update Ford's status when we know more.