Browns' Running Back Fantasy Football Breakdown | Add Pierre Strong with Jerome Ford Injured? Is Kareem Hunt a Must Start?

The Cleveland Browns running back room has been one that’s been talked about a bunch over the past couple weeks as the workload started to be split between Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt. The team’s backfield remains in the headlines this week because of an ankle sprain to Ford.

It doesn’t appear to be a long-term injury, but it’s one that’s created a couple of questions. First off, is Hunt a must start with Ford out? Secondly, should you target Cleveland's No. 3 back Pierre Strong on the waiver wire? 

Let’s discuss it all and try to provide some answers!

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What’s Been Happening

Since the devastating injury to Nick Chubb in week 2, Ford has functioned as the Browns’ starting running back. Hunt was brought back to provide another body in the backfield.

Ford has gotten at least 12 touches over the past four games. He’s played more snaps than Hunt and done a pretty solid job of producing consistently for Cleveland.

Hunt finished below 10 touches in his first two contests, but then got 15 in week 6, which helped bring on the discussion of the backfield being split between him and Ford going forward.

Ford was injured during the fourth quarter of the team’s week 7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. He still ended up leading the Browns’ backfield in snaps (32) and touches (13). He rushed 11 times for 74 yards and a touchdown, while catching half of his four targets for an additional 20 yards.

Hunt finished with 10 touches on the day. He rushed 10 times for 31 yards. Three of his carries came in the red zone, and he produced a pair of touchdowns. Hunt played just 19 snaps though.

Strong ended up playing more than Hunt, finishing with 23 snaps played. He got a season-high eight touches, rushing eight times for 25 yards. Strong got one of his carries in the red zone.

Running Back Fantasy Outlook

The logical choice to replace Ford while he’s out is Hunt, but Strong’s increased role this past week complicates things.

A closer look at the season totals clouds the judgment a bit more. Strong had two extra games to rack up numbers in, but has only played 22 less snaps than Hunt. Strong simply hadn’t been getting a meaningful amount of touches behind Ford or Hunt, until this past Sunday that is.

I expected the Browns to start giving Hunt a bigger workload than Ford this week, but that never happened. I am starting to think that Cleveland truly views Hunt as a backup running back. He’ll have his weeks where he leads the way, but more often than not, I just don’t think Cleveland is going to treat him like a true No. 1 back.

Seeing as Strong played more than Hunt this past weekend, I wouldn’t be surprised if he again leads the duo in snaps with Ford out. Of course, someone has to replace Ford’s snaps, and if Strong gets the majority of those, his touches should increase, possibly allowing him to look like the lead back over Hunt.

There is a lot of speculation going on in this story, which ultimately means that we probably won’t have a clue as to how the backfield situation will play out until the game is actually played. 

For those that are looking for a more definitive answer, I would say to treat the Brown’s backfield as a 50/50 split until Ford returns.

Ford’s injury isn’t the only big one on the Browns’ offense right now, as quarterback Deshaun Watson is considered day-to-day again with his lingering shoulder injury. The team is holding out hope he can start in week 8, but even if he does, I’d expect the team to dial things back and not push things too much. That likely means an emphasis on the ground game, so double-digit touches for both Hunt and Strong seem like a really strong possibility.

Should You Add Strong/Who Should You Start Week 8?

Seeing as to how Cleveland has utilized its running backs so far this season, and how last week’s snaps and touches wrapped up, I’d absolutely be in favor of targeting Strong on the waiver wire. If you are looking at maximizing your fantasy score for the next couple weeks, he should be pretty high atop your priority list.

Strong doesn’t have a lot of long-term appeal, as when Ford returns, Strong will likely fall back into the No. 3 role. Even if he does continue to play a decent amount of snaps, the backfield would be split three ways, which doesn’t make any of the backs great fantasy options.

If you end up landing Strong, I think he deserves strong consideration for a starting spot in week 8. I’d think the same for Hunt.

The Browns will be facing off against a Seattle Seahawks’ defense that has been average against opposing backs, allowing 19 fantasy points a week. Even if the workload is split evenly between Hunt and Strong, nine or 10 fantasy points sounds pretty good.

I’d go with the season statistics over what happened last week and say Hunt is the guy who has the better chance of outscoring Strong, but the offense has proved several times already that two backs can be viable fantasy options, so I’d feel pretty confident in starting either.

I’m not saying to bench a player that’s clearly the No. 1 back on their team, but just that Hunt and Strong should be considered for a starting spot.

Check back later in the week, as I guarantee the FantasySP start/sit tool will be full of trending decisions involving the Cleveland backs, and we may even write a story on the matter.