Browns Fantasy Football Preview: Deshaun Watson, Nick Chubb, Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku and More
Breaking down the Cleveland Browns best fantasy football players for the upcoming season.
It’s time to tackle another NFL team fantasy football preview.
Check back soon for more team previews. Of course, things will change between now and the start of the season, and FantasySP will cover any major changes when those happen.
Here’s all the team previews we’ve already covered:
AFC: Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars
NFC: San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks
Let’s talk about the Cleveland Browns now.
Get ready for draft season! Practice Mock Drafts, check out ADPs and get advice for trades with our trade analyzer.
Deshaun Watson Fantasy Outlook
Things have not gone according to plan since Watson was traded to Cleveland. He’s played in just 12 games across two seasons, and hasn’t looked all that good in either season.
In six games last season, Watson helped the team to a 5-1 record. He completed 105 of his 171 attempts for 1,115 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions though - not exactly the best numbers.
Between 2018-2022, Watson threw for at least 3,852 yards and 26 touchdowns each season, so there’s hope he can return to that level of play again. He’s still only 28 years old, so there’s still time for him to get things turned around.
The Browns’ have a nice group of offensive players assembled, but are dealing with some injuries already. At full health, there’s no reason why Watson couldn’t be relevant from a fantasy perspective.
He’s QB21 right now and going around pick 152. That means he’s a borderline draft pick in standard leagues - he’ll be owned in a good amount of fantasy leagues, but as a backup option.
Watson is a player I wouldn’t mind picking with one of my last picks in a standard draft. I’d target him if you landed one of the top fantasy options at the position (Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, etc.). If Watson excels this season, he then becomes trade bait.
I wouldn’t take Watson if you took an unproven QB (Anthony Richardson, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, etc.). You need some stability with your second QB, and Watson is not that.
Running Back Fantasy Outlooks
Nick Chubb would be the starting running back if he were healthy, but he comes into the season still working his way back from a terrible injury in 2023. Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong should serve as the backs until Chubb is ready, with D'Onta Foreman also an option.
Chubb has been a fantasy star when he’s been healthy. He was off to a great start last season (170 rushing yards, 21 receiving yards) before being injured in the second game. He has gone for at least 1,145 total yards and eight touchdowns in every other season in his NFL career.
Ford had some solid games with Chubb out last season. In 17 games (12 starts), Ford rushed for 813 yards and four touchdowns on 204 attempts. He added 319 receiving yards and five scores on 44 grabs and 63 targets.
Strong appeared in 17 games as well. He rushed for 291 yards and a touchdown on 63 attempts. Strong had 47 yards and no scores on five receptions and eight targets.
Foreman was with the Bears a season ago, playing in nine games. He had 425 rushing yards and four scores on 109 attempts. Foreman added 77 yards and a score on 11 catches and 16 targets.
With Chubb’s return having no timeline, it’s really tough to judge the Browns’ backfield this season. He’s still the top Cleveland back off draft boards - he’s RB28 and going around pick 86 right now.
I can’t really give an opinion on a player if I don’t know when they might play. What I can say is that around his current ADP, there’s not as much risk involved, so taking a swing on Chubb isn’t the worst idea. I like drafting him if you have IR spots in your fantasy leagues, but would only do so if I had my other starting backs lined up already. Chubb is a lottery ticket this season, so don’t pin your hopes and dreams on him returning to star form.
I expect Ford to lead the way if Chubb can’t play right away. Ford already proved last season that he is a serviceable fantasy asset when he’s given a starter’s workload. He’s RB40 and going around pick 119. There’s not a ton of risk involved, and he could be a big-time fantasy asset if Chubb can’t play for several weeks. Unless news breaks that Chubb will be ready by week X, I’m fine taking a stab on Ford at his ADP. He probably should be drafted in all standard leagues, just because Chubb is coming off a horrific injury and we don’t know if he’ll ever be the same back he was.
Foreman and Strong might be involved early in the season, but outside deep leagues and dynasties, I don’t see much fantasy value with either guy. I’d treat them as waiver wire options unless Chubb’s return timeline is revealed or Ford gets banged up.
Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlooks
Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore and Jerry Jeudy are the starting receivers in Cleveland. Cedric Tillman, David Bell and Jaelon Darden look like the top backups, while rookie Jamari Thrash is another depth option.
Cooper is the leader of the group. He played in 15 games last season, hauling in 72 of his 128 targets for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns. Despite missing two games, it was the most receiving yards of his career.
Moore played in 17 games, making 59 catches on 104 targets for 640 yards and two touchdowns. He had nine rushing attempts, but gained only 11 yards.
Jeudy played with the Broncos the past four seasons. In 16 games last season, he had 758 yards and two scores on 54 catches and 87 targets.
Tillman played in 14 games with Cleveland in 2023. He had 21 receptions on 44 targets for 224 yards and no scores.
Bell appeared in 15 games last season. He had 167 yards and three touchdowns on 14 catches and 23 receptions.
Darden hasn’t done much in his first three NFL seasons, with 82 total yards on 10 touches. He’s a return option, but seems to be behind a couple guys right now.
Thrash had a big season with Georgia State in his fourth college season and then put up more good numbers with Louisville in his fifth and final season. He was a fifth-round pick.
Cooper is the Cleveland wideout to own in fantasy leagues this season. He’s WR26 and going around pick 55 right now.
That honestly feels far too low for a player who was a top-20 receiver despite missing some games. With that in mind, I love the value you get with Cooper at his ADP and would even take him several picks earlier.
Jeudy is the only other standard league draft option among the team’s receivers. He’s WR55 and going around pick 134. He should have ample opportunities to succeed in this offseason, and his fantasy value might come down to how Watson looks at QB. With a late standard league pick, I’m fine taking a chance on Jeudy.
Moore is a deep league option, but probably not one you’ll be able to start all that often. He could become valuable if Cooper or Jeudy miss time.
All the other Cleveland WRs are off the fantasy radar, outside really deep leagues. Treat them as streaming options, but that would only happen with several injuries before them.
Tight End Fantasy Outlooks
David Njoku figures to play a big role in the passing game again and is the team’s only tight end worth mentioning from a fantasy perspective.
In 16 games last season, Njoku hauled in 81 of his 123 targets for 882 yards and six touchdowns.
FantasySP’s Daniel Hepner just wrote about how Njoku actually performed worse with Watson on the field last season, so that’s something to keep in mind if you’re thinking about drafting Njoku.
Njoku is TE9 and going around pick 83. I actually think that ADP offers some great value for fantasy owners, so I’d be all for grabbing Njoku around that pick. He’s a guy to target if you miss out on some of the top fantasy TEs or instead want to focus on some RBs and WRs.
Njoku has top-five upside at the position, along with a fairly safe floor. He’s one of my favorite mid-round picks this season.
#2024-fantasy-football
