One of the most confusing situations to deal with this offseason has been the Cleveland Brown’s players. On one hand, Cleveland is loaded with talent. On the other hand the Browns have continually disappointed for years. It is hard to know who to trust in this offense and as it stands today they have fantasy relevant players that nobody has any idea what to do with.
Tyrod Taylor – QB23
Breakdown:
Despite having some of the best legs at the quarterback position he has still proven to be a game manager up to this point. Low yardage/ touchdown totals paired with low turnovers put that stamp on Tyrod’s career. That doesn’t necessarily mean he cannot succeed for fantasy purposes. We saw what happened when a game manager was given weapons that did most of the work. That player was Alex Smith who actually ended the season as a top 3 quarterback. Taylor’s rushing ability provides a safe floor on a weekly basis and the fantasy upside would come from his ability to succeed in the passing game. Its obvious that these are the best receiving weapons that Taylor has had throughout his entire career yet he is being drafted significantly lower than he was last season.
Recommendation:
No need to draft Tyrod Taylor, he may not have his starting job after four weeks. The quarterback position is extremely deep this season and if the quarterback you drafted goes down with an injury there will be no shortage of solid options on the waiver wire.
Baker Mayfield – QB36
Breakdown:
Mayfield was far ahead of the other quarterbacks on our draft board so it brought us great pleasure to see him go first overall. One of best ways to know if a quarterback can translate to the NFL is to see how well they perform the easy stuff. The easy stuff would be high completion throws and throws from a clean pocket. Mayfield excelled in all of those areas blowing by the other quarterbacks in the draft by a margin.
Recommendation:
No need to draft Mayfield but if Tyrod Taylor struggles to start the season, you better be ready to pick him up off the waiver wire. A Dak-like season is in the realm of possibility for Mayfield which resulted in a QB6 finish for the former Rookie of the Year. If Baker does ultimately start it would help certain receivers on this team but it could potentially limit production from others such as Josh Gordon.
Josh Gordon – WR15
Breakdown:
Josh Gordon is undoubtedly a physically gifted athlete. His superior height and speed make him a matchup nightmare for opposing defensive backs. His high yard per reception totals throughout his career have shown his big play ability which fits in well with Tyrod Taylor’s skillset. The upside of Gordon is that of a top 5 wide receiver but the target totals he received in his dominant 2013 season are unlikely to come.
Recommendation:
A safe pick at WR15 but it isn’t the slam dunk that most analysts make it out to be. There will likely be games that Gordon goes completely quiet which makes owning him as your WR1 a risky endeavor. If drafted to be a WR1, Gordon should be paired with a safe floor wide receiver like Golden Tate or Demaryius Thomas.
Jarvis Landry – WR22
Breakdown:
Landry has given us a lot to love in recent years. His high reception totals have made him one of the most consistent fantasy players week over week since entering the league. The main concern this year is Tyrod Taylor’s struggles when targeting the middle of the field. Landry is best used as a safety valve and chain mover. To use Landry’s skillset properly he requires consistent targets each game. Unlike previous years this is not something that can be counted on, or at least we haven’t seen this yet from Taylor.
Recommendation:
Draft Landry as your WR3 or trade for Landry when Baker Mayfield becomes the starter. While Landry certainly could be the player we have seen the past 3 seasons with Taylor at the helm, it is not very likely. Mayfield on the other hand matches up extremely well with Landry’s strengths. Landry could potentially regain his WR1 value with Mayfield, making him one of the hottest buy low candidates at the early part of the season.
David Njoku – TE17
Breakdown:
The Cleveland Browns traded up to get David Njoku and they want to get their money’s worth. Front offices do not like to be wrong when it comes to investing in first round picks and you can believe that goes double when trading up. Njoku was, however, inexperienced at the position when drafted so we knew that his development would take some time. Normally tight ends take longer than other positions to get up to the speed at the NFL level. Njoku certainly has all of the physical abilities to succeed but the target share concerns and developmental concerns make a breakout season unlikely.
Recommendation:
We have Njoku ranked higher than his current TE17 ADP. We don’t normally target tight ends early and seek upside at the position. Due to the concerns above he has fallen down draft boards and is now a low risk/ high reward investment. Worst case scenario you drop him for another tight end, best case scenario you have a weekly starter. Njoku is another player who would likely get increased production from the shift of Tyrod Taylor to Baker Mayfield.
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