NFL 2018: AFC North – Projected Starters – Fantasy Football

Cleveland Browns

2018 NFL Draft

QB – Tyrod Taylor

Tyrod Taylor was acquired from the Bills to be nothing more than a fill-in QB for a season. The Browns drafted Baker Mayfield with the 1st overall pick of the Draft and he will eventually take over from Taylor. That may come as soon as midway through this season. Taylor is a good option to have for the Browns in the meantime. He’s a largely underappreciated QB who manages to put up decent fantasy points due to his rushing upside. He has a lot more options to throw to than he did in Buffalo, so it’ll be interesting to see how he performs in the early part of the season.

RB1 – Carlos Hyde

Hyde was another offseason signing made by the Browns. Hyde was signed from the 49ers after finishing the 2017 season as the RB8 in PPR leagues. He signed a 3-year deal, but many see it as a one season loan, as he is available to be cut before the 2019 season for just $2 million in dead cap space. Another reason for that thought is that the Browns drafted Nick Chubb in the 2nd round of this year’s draft. Many experts see Chubb as the better back and think he will take over from Hyde at some point during the season. Hyde still has value in fantasy leagues, but buyers must beware of his competition for touches.

RB2 - Duke Johnson

Johnson is another threat to Hyde’s workload. Expected to be the odd man out in this corps, Johnson signed a new 3-year deal this offseason, securing his role as the pass-catching specialist in this backfield. Johnson always performs well in PPR leagues, largely outperforming his usual ADP. He will do well to replicate his RB11 finish from the 2017 season.

WR1 – Josh Gordon

Gordon has got himself clean and is back to being the premier outside receiver on this team. A freak athlete, Gordon finished the 2013 season with 1646 yards and 9 TDs. If he can replicate his pre-suspension form, he will be a huge contributor for this team. He has a lot more competition for targets than in 2013 though and will be playing with Tyrod Taylor who doesn’t throw for much more than 3000 yards in a season. For that reason, I think Gordons current ADP is a little too high. Still, Gordon has a huge ceiling and could win you weeks by himself.

WR2 - Jarvis Landry

Jarvis Landry has come across from Miami this offseason, signing a long-term deal in the process. Landry is a fantastic option for Taylor and Mayfield and will be a great complimentary piece for Gordon o the outside. Landry, who will play the majority of his snaps from the slot, recorded the most catches in the league last year with 112. There will be some regression this year due to the other options on offense for the Browns. Landry will still be a great option at WR for fantasy owners, but as more of a WR2 than a 1.

WR3 – Corey Coleman

Corey Coleman is the WR3 in this Browns offense. A broken hand landed Coleman on IR in 2017 meaning had to turn to players like Rashard Higgins and Ricardo Louis. Both of those players are still on the roster, along with draft day recruit Antonio Callaway, who has been tipped to overtake Coleman on the depth chart. I don’t’ expect Coleman to have much value in fantasy leagues unless the rumors of him being traded come true.

TE – David Njoku

David Njoku had a fairly quiet rookie season on a lackluster Browns offense. He caught just 32 passes in a poor team that struggled to get anything going. This season though, Njoku is seen as a breakout candidate. Tyrod Taylor loves to use a Tight End, with Charles Clay being his benefactor in Buffalo. This should mean that Njoku will get an increase in targets even with greater competition. He is currently going as the 14th TE off the board in fantasy drafts, which I think is good value.