Browns, Texans Fantasy Football Start/Sit Decisions: Should You Start Joe Flacco, C.J. Stroud, Amari Cooper, Devin Singletary and More?

The NFL playoffs are nearly here, and there’s some fantastic matchups for the Wild Card Round this weekend.

Let’s take a look at the first game of the playoffs - Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans - and determine what guys you should be starting in playoff fantasy leagues or DFS.

We’ll provide an outlook for each game, so check back for more stories.

Quarterback Options

Joe Flacco will lead the Browns into battle while rookie sensation C.J. Stroud guides the Texans.

Let’s start with Flacco, who was signed to Cleveland’s roster in late November. All he’s done since winning the starting job is lead the Browns to a 4-1 record.

Flacco has over 250 passing yards and at least two passing touchdowns in all five of his starts. A negative is that he has eight total interceptions, with at least one in each game. Flacco, who also has lost a fumble, doesn’t add much as a runner at this point of his career.

On paper, this is a pretty average matchup for Flacco, as the Texans’ defense allowed 17 fantasy points per week to opposing quarterbacks. Flacco actually already has faced the Houston defense - he went for 368 passing yards and three scores, but also threw two picks.

The matchup for Stroud against the Browns’ defense is much tougher, as that unit only allowed 13 fantasy points per week. He didn’t play in the team’s first meeting because of an injury.

Stroud hit at least 200 passing yards in all but three of his starts - falling a yard short in one of those three. He’s gone over 300 yards six times. Stroud had multiple touchdown passes in eight games, while only throwing five interceptions across three weeks.

The rookie quarterback can add a little bit as a runner, but he’s not that big of a threat in that department.

Verdict: I like the Texans to win this game, but I don’t think Stroud is going to have a monster outing. I’m worried that Flacco’s magic is going to fizzle out and he’ll make a couple mistakes that cost his team. I’d try to avoid using either of these guys this week, but if forced to make a choice, would give Stroud the slight edge.

Running Back Options

Each team’s running backs are pretty healthy headed into this one. Cleveland’s Pierre Strong is questionable, but he likely wouldn’t have to factor into the game, unless there’s a couple injuries ahead of him.

Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt lead the Browns’ backfield, and because they split the workload, it might be difficult for either to enjoy a really big game. Ford has nearly 100 more touches this season, but Hunt has five more rushing scores - Ford has five receiving scores to match Hunt’s nine total touchdowns.

It’s an average matchup on paper for the Cleveland backs, while it’s a tad tougher for Houston’s backs.

Ford had 23 total yards and a touchdown on 16 touches in the first game, while Hunt tallied 16 total yards and a touchdown on nine touches. Strong went for 22 yards on five touches.

Without Stroud around for the regular season matchup, Texans’ Devin Singletary and Dameon Pierce were both bogged down in the first matchup. Singletary had 63 total yards on 12 touches, while Pierce had 16 total yards on four touches.

Singletary took over as the lead back about halfway through the season and has far better numbers than Pierce on the season. 

Verdict: I’m not a huge fan of any of the running backs playing in this contest. I’d probably give Singletary the top nod because he’s likely to get the most work. I’d try Ford next and then Hunt and avoid Pierce and Strong at all costs.

Wide Receiver Options

Each team has some quality receivers that should be suiting up. Houston’s Noah Brown and Robert Woods are both questionable, while Cedric Tillman is out for Cleveland.

A positive for Cleveland is that Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore both are without injury designations. Cooper led the team all season, and had a monster outing the last time he was on the field in week 16 against Houston. Moore has been one of the few other reliable pass catchers on the team.

With Brown and Woods banged up, Nico Collins should lead the Texans this week, like he has all season. If Brown and/or Woods cannot play, Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchie would get plenty of snaps - those two combined for 11 yards on two catches and six targets without Woods and Brown around in week 18.

This is a very tough matchup for the Texans’ wideouts, as the Browns’ defense allows just 28 fantasy points to the position per week. Houston’s defense allows 32 fantasy points, which is also an above-average mark for a defense.

Cooper went for 265 yards and two touchdowns on 11 catches and 15 targets the last time the teams met. Moore had just 19 yards on two grabs and four targets. Without Stroud, almost all of the Houston pass catchers struggled - Brown had 38 yards on three grabs and seven targets to lead the wide receivers.

Verdict: It’d be silly to pick anyone but Cooper for the top pass-catching option in this game, but I think Collins definitely has a shot to outproduce him, especially if Brown and Woods miss the game. I’d give Cooper the slight edge over Collins, but be in favor of starting both guys this week. Every other wideout in this contest are ones I’d try to avoid, but I’d take them in this order: Woods, Moore, Brown, Metchie and Hutchinson - I'd keep Metchie and Hutchinson below Moore even if Woods and Brown are both out.

Tight End Options

I love the tight end options in this playoff game. Cleveland has David Njoku, while Houston has Dalton Schultz. Both should be heavily involved in the passing game.

Njoku got hot when Flacco took over and had at least six catches and 44 receiving yards across his last four games played. He scored four touchdowns over that span.

Schultz returned from an injury in week 14 and had at least four targets in the final four games. Schultz didn’t score over that span, but had over 40 yards on three occasions.

This is an easier matchup for Njoku than for Schultz, with Cleveland’s defense actually being the best in shutting down opposing tight ends.

Njoku had 44 yards and a score on six catches and nine targets the last time the teams played. Schultz had 61 yards on eight grabs and 11 targets.

Verdict: As I said to start this section, I love both of these tight ends, and I’d be in favor of starting either guy. They should rack up plenty of catches, and both have solid chances to score too. I’d give the edge to Njoku, simply because there’s less mouths to feed on Cleveland’s offense.

Other Thoughts

I see this as a relatively low-scoring game, with Houston winning 24-20.

I think there might be a couple turnovers, but I wouldn't feel super confident starting either team's defense. I’d give the edge to Cleveland simply because they were one of the best defenses all season.

Cleveland’s kicker Dustin Hopkins won’t play this week, which I think could be a lot more impactful than people think. Riley Patterson will replace him. Patterson made his only field goal attempt in the two games he played in, while going 6-of-7 on extra points. I wouldn’t trust Patterson this week.

Ka'imi Fairbairn kicks for Houston. He’s 27-of-28 on field goals this season, while going 21-of-22 on extra points. I’d trust him a lot more than Patterson, but I think Fairbairn won’t be attempting too many kicks, so I’d look elsewhere for my starter.