The fantasy football landscape shifts each week, bringing fresh opportunities and unexpected challenges that separate the prepared from the pretenders. Savvy managers know that last week’s performance tells only part of the story, and diving deeper into the underlying metrics reveals the accurate picture.
This week presents some intriguing decisions. Here’s insight about key Cleveland Browns players heading into their matchup with the Tennessee Titans to help you craft a winning lineup.
Shedeur Sanders, QB
Shedeur Sanders is probably the best quarterback on this Cleveland roster, but that doesn’t mean we need to worry about him.
In his two starts, the Browns have trusted him with just 45 passes (27 completions), and without high-end athleticism, there’s no real path to fantasy production.
That said, he did miss Jerry Jeudy on the first drive last week, a bomb that could have been a 66-yard score, and the Titans allow the fifth most deep completions per game (3.3). Sanders himself doesn’t hold value, but he brings a vertical element to this offense that Dillon Gabriel didn’t, and in this matchup, that introduces some significant upside.
Dylan Sampson, RB
Dylan Sampson was featured in all sorts of coverage this time last week after being responsible for Shedeur Sanders’ first career touchdown pass, a 66-yard play in which he did all the heavy lifting.
The speed is no secret, but neither is this team’s opinion of Jerome Ford. Quinshon Judkins is pretty clearly the back Cleveland wants to feature, and this offense isn’t built to lend value to multiple backs.
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That said, because Ford out-snapped Sampson 13-11, we have no clarity as to who would be the handcuff should an injury occur. Judkins is realistically the only Brown that needs to be rostered in most situations.
Quinshon Judkins, RB
Usually, it takes time to get used to the NFL game.
Don’t get me wrong, Quinshon Judkins isn’t skirting that, but the rookie runs hard and grinds out yardage like he’s been doing it for years. He’s been handed the ball at least 16 times in five straight healthy games, and with this game expected to be as competitive as any moving forward, we can safely pencil in plenty of work on the ground.
What I can’t figure out is how the Browns feel about Judkins in the pass game. He caught all three targets last week against San Francisco after consecutive zero-catch performances. We know the reception ceiling isn’t all that high, but if we are nitpicking in an offense that struggles to score, access to those “free” points is huge.
Judkins cleared 100 yards and helped his fantasy day around the edges (three catches and a two-point conversion). I think we’ll see more of the same in this spot, which has him ranked as a very strong RB2 this weekend.
Cedric Tillman, WR
You’re getting way too cute if you’re going to this rabbit hole.
I don’t have any Brown WR ranked as a starter this week, something that has been the case for nearly two months now. Harold Fannin is the one option attached to this passing game that has my attention at all, but that’s more of a positional scarcity thing than it is any confidence in this offense supporting anything of use.
Cedric Tillman earned just one target on Sunday against the Niners, and that brings his totals to five yards and four targets in the Shedeur Sanders starts.
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If you’re going to throw a dart at a skill set like this, you should be aiming for an offense that is at least middle of the road. I have a hard time seeing Tillman giving you what Dontayvion Wicks did for the Packers on Thanksgiving, and that’s just one example of a low-ranked receiver on a good offense that fell into a productive afternoon.
Jerry Jeudy, WR
Jerry Jeudy has one finish better than WR32 this season.
One.
If not for his name, would you be remotely interested in rostering him?
He hasn’t been a top-50 option at the position in back-to-back-to-back weeks and now has three or fewer receptions in eight games this season.
The Browns are resigned to letting Shedeur Sanders get live reps under his belt as this season progresses, and while I agree with that organizational decision, it’s not exactly a path for Jeudy managers to recoup any value.
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He’s a fast player, and Sanders at least appears more willing to explore that upside than Dillon Gabriel did. That leaves the door open for a random spike game between here and the finish line, but our ability to predict such a performance is low at best.
In theory, this soft defensive matchup would be a spot for that sort of game, but there are two sides to that coin. We know that Cleveland wants to be a run-heavy offense: what if they take an early lead and draw up 40 run plays on Sunday?
Jeudy sits outside of my top-40 at the position this week: I’d rather try to pin the tail on the Packer receiver or forecast the Luther Burden breakout spot.
David Njoku, TE
With Harold Fannin popping up in the play-by-play a few times (TD, lost fumble, etc), I’ll admit it: I forgot that David Njoku was active on Sunday.
Through 11 weeks, he averaged 28.2 routes per game, but over the last two weeks, he has totaled just 20 routes and gained just 4 yards.
We are done here, and that’s been the case for a while. Even if he claws his way back into a split with Harold Fannin, something I’m not expecting, do you really want to start a committee member attached to this offense?
Easy pass for me.
Harold Fannin Jr., TE
This is Harold Fannin’s tight end room, and while that may not mean a ton, it gives us enough clarity in Cleveland to say that he is the streaming option out of an offense that is looking for answers.
His profile is a bit different than other fringy TEs. Personally, when I’m streaming, I view it as damage control. “Which of these players is least likely to lose me this week?”
Maybe you’re different from me. Maybe you want a week winner and are willing to absorb more risk than I am. Both can be right. Or wrong. That’s the nature of the TE streaming world.
Fanning hasn’t reached 45 receiving yards in a game since October, has another tight end at least sniffing around, and is playing in an offense with very much a work in progress under center.
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All of that is true, but uncertainty can turn up some gems from time to time. His 34-yard touchdown to end the first half last week against the Niners was beautiful: he found the vacated spot in the zone at the same time Shedeur Sanders did, and the Dawg Pound got the first of what they hope is many scores from that connection.
Fannin did lose a fumble on a Tush Push scheme that never had a chance, but it does speak to their comfort level to have him handle those high-value snaps. He’s cleared eight PPR points in four of his past five and has seven straight games with at least five targets.
I can’t make the case for him being a “safe” play. Without the touchdown last week, he finishes with nine yards and you’re complaining. It’s a fine line at the tight end position, but this is about as well as you’ll see the Cleveland position project, and that’s why he slides just inside my top 12 at the position for this week.
