The Browns' Offense Relies On Nick Chubb, But Amari Cooper And Elijah Moore Are Important Fantasy Factors

It brings me great pleasure as someone born and raised in Northeast Ohio and a diehard Browns fan to bring to you their team breakdown for upcoming season-long fantasy football!

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Nick Chubb Fantasy Football Outlook

Let's start by talking about the player that the Browns' game plan will revolve around this season, and that is the great Nick Chubb! Chubb is the best RB in Browns history not named Jim Brown, the late and great Hall of Fame runner who is regarded by many as the best to ever lace them up at the position. Chubb's 2022 campaign included the league’s most explosive runs of 10+ yards with 43 and third-most yards after contact (1,177). Now he seemingly gets the backfield to himself with Kareem Hunt's departure.

Prior to this season, a lack of receiving opportunities is the one thing that has kept Chubb from the fantasy elite. But he has always been decent in the screen game (75% catch percentage) and should see more receiving work with Hunt out of the picture. Chubby is reportedly looking excellent in training camp, and I've moved him up into my top five RBs recently. The uncertainty at the top of draft boards at the position with Jonathan Taylor’s and Josh Jacobs’ situations makes drafting a player with the safety of Chubb a no-brainer.

Amari Cooper Fantasy Football Outlook 

At WR for the Browns, I am in on Amari Cooper at cost, as you can get him middle of the fourth round coming off a 2022 campaign where he finished with 78 receptions for 1,160 yards and nine touchdowns and was the fantasy WR10. That was with Jacoby Brissett and a rusty Deshaun Watson getting him the rock. Cooper, a target hog and one of the league's elite route runners, continues to play at a high level into his age-29 season; speaking of the Hall of Fame, Cooper might be starting to put that type of career together. The boom-or-bust fantasy asset early from early in his career in Dallas is now one of the most consistent at the position. Take the discount on Cooper and get yourself a high-end WR2 at a lower-end price.

Elijah Moore Fantasy Football Outlook

 Elijah Moore is one of my favorite mid-round WRs to take in fantasy this season. The former first-round pick of the Jets comes into a situation where he will be the number-two option in the target pecking order. Moore was an obvious victim of bad QB play in New York in 2022. I'm betting on the talent to break out, he's going to be heavily involved from the slot. I'm grabbing as much Moore as I can in drafts, taking him around the tier of WRs that includes Jordan Addison, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jahan Dotson. 

Deshaun Watson Fantasy Football Outlook

At quarterback, Deshaun Watson is his first full year back after his return last season from a two-year layoff. He clearly was not the player he was with the Texans last year, posting a PFF grade of 55.3 which put him near the bottom of all QBs with the likes of Baker Mayfield and Zach Wilson. That's enough to make you pause just a bit when having to click the button on Watson this year. But a player as talented as Watson undoubtedly will bounce back. With all the pieces around him, including a stable run game, I'm betting on him knocking off the rust and returning to form. I definitely do not expect a top-five at the position return, but he should finish somewhere around the low-end-QB1 or high-end-QB2 range. Training camps reports on Watson's play have been a bit mixed, but all signs show that he's healthy and ready for a good season.

David Njoku Fantasy Football Outlook

At tight end, David Njoku was a huge target of mine in fantasy last season as he was set up to be the number-two option in the Browns’ passing game. I'm not nearly as bullish on "Chief" this season with the Browns adding competition like Elijah Moore and talented rookie Cedric Tillman, who has flashed in camp. Donovan People-Jones is also still there, and the Browns even have two other good TEs in Harrison Bryant and Jordan Akins, who they brought in this offseason and was solid in the receiving game in his time as a Texan. I think this is just too much for Njoku to overcome to be a reliable weekly fantasy option.

Jerome Ford Fantasy Football Outlook

If you’re looking for a late-round stash, I like RB Jerome Ford, who has moved up the Browns’ depth chart to No. 2. Ford can be one of your last picks in your 16-round fantasy drafts and is a great handcuff if you draft Chubb. He would be in line to be a top-12 back if anything happened to Chubb.

Cade York Fantasy Football Outlook 

Some have Cade York as a draftable kicker for fantasy. But I was just in Cleveland to see Joe Thomas get elected into the Football Hall of Fame, an amazing moment in Browns history to celebrate the career of the long-time franchise left tackle. All the talk on local Cleveland radio was trashing York and emphasizing the need for a better kicker; I would look elsewhere.