Cleveland Browns Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Jaguars traded K Riley Patterson to the Lions in exchange for a 2026 conditional 7th-round pick. It was originally reported that Patterson would be released, but the Lions evidently didn't want to let him hit the open market. Patterson will presumably compete with K Michael Badgley for the starting job this summer. The winner will be squarely on the fantasy radar in an ascending Detroit offense.

Browns RB Jerome Ford "appears to have a clear path to winning the No. 2 running back’s job," The Athletic's Zac Jackson writes. Cleveland let RB Kareem Hunt walk and didn't make any significant additions to the RB room this offseason. That leaves Ford with only John Kelly, Nate McCrary, and Hassan Hall to beat out for that No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Ford didn't register an offensive touch as a rookie last year but averaged 24.1 yards on 30 kick returns. He was a fifth-round pick in last year's draft after breaking out for 1,319 rushing yards and 19 TDs as a senior at Cincinnati. The 5’11, 210-pounds clocked a 4.46-second 40 time at the Combine. We don't expect Ford to have any standalone fantasy value behind a healthy Nick Chubb. But he's one injury away from a significant role.

The Browns have acquired Edge Za'Darius Smith from the Vikings for a mere swap of draft picks. Minnesota has been expected to move on from Smith this offseason to save salary cap. The 30-year-old rebounded from losing nearly all of 2021 to injury, racking up 80 total pressures in his lone Vikings season, according to Pro Football Focus. That marked the second-largest total of his career, and Smith has earned elite-level pass-rushing grades from PFF in each of his last three healthy campaigns. He should play lead snaps opposite Myles Garrett in Cleveland, though free-agent addition Ogbonnia Okoronkwo will factor into the rotation as well.

The Browns selected Tennessee WR Cedric Tillman in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Flash back to 2021 and it was Tillman leading the Tennessee WR corps with 64 catches, 1,081 yards, and 12 TDs. He was off to another strong start last year with 230 yards and 1 TD in 2 games before hurting his ankle. Now, Tillman’s breakout didn’t come until his fourth college season; he’ll already be 23 when his rookie season kicks off; and he has a big transition to make coming from Tennessee’s college-style attack. So he’s not a perfect prospect. But Tillman puts a big check in the size and athleticism boxes at 6’3, 213 pounds with 4.5 speed and a 37-inch vertical. And he flashes dominant contested-catch ability and strong YAC skills on tape. The fantasy ceiling here is exciting. Landing in Cleveland puts him in a crowded WR corps. With Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Elijah Moore round, Tillman probably doesn't have a shot at rising above fourth on the 2023 depth chart. The long-term outlook remains intriguing, though. Check out Tillman's initial projections in our 2023 fantasy football WR rankings.

Browns WR Amari Cooper revealed on Tuesday that he underwent surgery this offseason for a core-muscle injury that he played through last year. Cooper was on the injury report with a hip late in the season, although it's unclear if this is related. Regardless, he said that he's "doing well now," per ESPN's Jake Trotter, so it doesn't sound like it'll impact his 2023 campaign. Cooper is coming off a 78-1,160-9 line and WR10 PPR finish in his Browns debut last year -- which now looks even more impressive considering he did it while dealing with this core-muscle injury.

The Browns signed WR Marquise Goodwin to a one-year deal. He's coming off a 387-yard, four-TD season in Seattle -- which was actually his most productive since 2018. Goodwin adds speed to Cleveland's WR corps but won't be higher than fourth on the totem pole behind Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Donovan Peoples-Jones.

Broncos HC Sean Payton tells NFL Network's Tom Pelissero that people shouldn't buy into the trade rumors surrounding WR Jerry Jeudy or WR Courtland Sutton. "We're not trading those two players," Payton said. We could simply take the coach at his word. Of course, these rumors have been swirling for a while now, with no Broncos leadership previously swatting them down. If you're doing best ball drafts right now, then you should treat Jeudy and Sutton as though they'll be in Denver this season. That said, we had no idea a year ago at this time that A.J. Brown and Marquise Brown were about to get traded on Night 1 of the NFL Draft. A month ago, we had no idea that D.J. Moore was about to move to Chicago. So be wary of treating any NFL team decision maker as though he's telling the full truth over the next five weeks.

The Jets are trading WR Elijah Moore and a third-round pick to the Browns for a second-rounder. The move confirms what the Jets' usage told us last year: They've already fallen out of love with the 2021 early-second-round pick. We loved Moore as a prospect, and he supplied a promising rookie-year stretch when healthy. He joins a Cleveland team with Amari Cooper in place as the top WR. But Moore could push Donovan Peoples-Jones for the No. 2 spot. And the trio makes a high-upside corps for QB Deshaun Watson. The Jets, meanwhile, might now be more incentivized to keep WR Corey Davis. We'll see if the team adds any notable wideouts in the draft, as well as how many more ex-teammates Aaron Rodgers demands the Jets acquire. The landing spot doesn't immediately boost Moore's fantasy outlook. But getting to a team that wants him more can only help his upside.

The Bears signed RB D'Onta Foreman to a 1-year, $3 million deal. Foreman is coming off a nice season in Carolina, posting a career-high 914 rushing yards on 4.5 yards per carry. He ranked 26th among 42 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus' rushing grades and 21st in Elusive Rating. New backfield mate Khalil Herbert beat Foreman in both metrics, finishing 25th and 6th. We'll consider Herbert the favorite to lead Chicago's David Montgomery-less backfield in carries for now but will keep a close eye on the backfield all offseason. It's worth noting that neither Herbert nor Foreman have much pass-catching production on their resumes. The Bears also have change-of-pace types Travis Homer and Trestan Ebner on the RB depth chart. There's a chance this is a 3-man committee backfield in 2023.

CBS' Josina Anderson reports that Saints QB Jameis Winston is "finalizing" a deal to stay with the Saints. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that it's a one-year agreement worth "up to" $8 million. Rapoport adds that Winston faced "no starting opportunities," which would explain the QB settling for a backup spot behind QB Derek Carr. There would be fantasy upside to Winston if Carr goes down. But it's bad news that the 29-year-old couldn't get a better shot anywhere else just a year after opening 2022 as the New Orleans starter. This comes at the same time as the Buccaneers are rumored to be interested in Baker Mayfield and Jacoby Brissett -- just to add some context. Don't expect big things from Winston going forward.

The Browns are agreed to a three-year deal with former Texans EDGE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The pact could be worth as much as $22 million. A fifth-round pick of the Rams back in 2018, Okoronkwo finally got the first eight starts of his career last year in Houston. He supplied 5 sacks, 9 tackles for loss and 11 QB hits while playing 44% of the snaps. Cleveland clearly believes there's more coming in Okoronkwo's age-28 season (and beyond). The money indicates he's expected to start opposite EDGE Myles Garrett, which can't hurt. Still Okoronkwo sports just a 45th-percentile speed score for the position and might have a limited playing-time ceiling because of his size (just 253 pounds). He's a potential late-round IDP option for 2023 fantasy football drafts. But we're not overly excited about his upside.

The Vikings have agreed to a contract restructure with LB Jordan Hicks that will keep the veteran around for 2023. That's noteworthy because it comes shortly after Minnesota released longtime LB Eric Kendricks. Hicks turns 31 in June and saw his playing time slip late last season. That included snap shares of less than 70% in each of the final four contests (before the Vikings yanked most starters in a meaningless finale). We'd bet on Hicks remaining a 2023 starter, but he's far from a lock for full playing time. Youngsters Troy Dye and Brian Asamoah should compete for time as well. And we'll see whether the team makes any significant LB additions via free agency or the NFL Draft.

The Browns are hiring longtime NFL coach Jim Schwartz to run their defense. Cleveland fired DC Joe Woods after a season in which they fell from 5th in yards allowed, 13th in scoring defense and 11th in Football Outsiders DVOA to 14th, 20th and 23rd, respectively. Schwartz last coordinated the Eagles' defense from 2016-20. Overall, he has spent 19 years as DC (Titans, Bills and Eagles) or HC (Lions) in the NFL. Schwartz's defenses have tended to rank better against the run than the pass and have not proved especially helpful to LB tackle totals. He has generally focused on generating pressure with his front 4, often lining up edge players in a "wide 9" formation, well outside the OTs. We'll see about his specific plans for a Cleveland defense with some intriguing talent.

Ravens QB Tyler Huntley (shoulder, wrist) is active for tonight's Wild Card game vs. the Bengals. NFL Network reported this morning that Huntley is expected to start but that Baltimore might also use QB Anthony Brown. It's a situation to avoid in fantasy lineups.

NFL Network's Stacey Dales reports that Ravens QB Tyler Huntley (shoulder, wrist) is expected to start tonight's Wild Card game vs. the Bengals. He's officially listed as questionable with a wrist issue and what's been reported as tendonitis in his throwing shoulder. Dales hears that Huntley "made good progress" throughout the week -- but adds that there's a "possibility" that QB Anthony Brown also plays tonight. This is a situation to steer clear of in fantasy lineups of all types.

Ravens QB Tyler Huntley (right shoulder, wrist) is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bengals. When asked on Friday, HC John Harbaugh declined to name a starter for this contest. Huntley himself said "it's a game-time decision" regarding his availability despite upgrading to full practice participation to end the week. Rookie QB Anthony Brown would be the starter should Huntley be inactive. Neither Huntley nor Brown are considering strong fantasy options this weekend.

Ravens QB Tyler Huntley (right shoulder, wrist) logged limited practice again on Thursday. We'll get a better view of his availability for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bengals tomorrow. Stay tuned for updates.

Ravens QB Tyler Huntley (right shoulder, wrist) practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday. As we shared earlier, it's looking pretty unlikely that we see QB Lamar Jackson in Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bengals, so the health of Huntley will be extremely important. Without Jackson or Huntley, the Ravens would be potentially forced to roll out UDFA rookie QB Anthony Brown again. We'll consider this possibility more as we receive updates on Huntley throughout the week.

Panthers RB D'Onta Foreman (knee) is active for today's game vs. the Saints. He was added to the injury report on Friday and listed as questionable but is evidently healthy enough to play in this meaningless game.

Ravens QB Tyler Huntley (right shoulder, wrist) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Bengals. That leaves QB Anthony Brown under center. The undrafted rookie completed just 58% of his passes in college and went 3-of-5 for 16 yards in his only action this season back in Week 14. The Ravens passing game has little chance today.