The Cleveland Browns are back from their bye week and heading south to take on the New Orleans Saints this Sunday. The team had a short injury report list on Wednesday, meaning they are getting healthy for the second half of the NFL season. Two weeks ago, the Browns performed disappointingly against the Chargers, but from a fantasy football standpoint, it was still a productive one. The offense has moved the ball since Jameis Winston took over, and if he can find a way to be the version he was against the Baltimore Ravens, it’ll be a great fantasy football week for Cleveland.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy leads the Browns in fantasy points this season with 82.8 points, although he only averages nine points per game. Jeudy has managed to produce back-to-back double-digit performances for the first time since weeks one and two. David Njoku, who missed time earlier in the season, leads the Cleveland Browns in average fantasy points per game at 11.3.
Start 'Em: Cedric Tillman, WR
The second-year wide receiver has stepped into the void left after the team traded veteran Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills. During weeks 7-9, Tillman ranked as the number one fantasy football wide receiver with 66.5 points with 255 yards, and three receiving touchdowns. This week, he faces the New Orleans Saints, who have surrendered the eight most points to opposing wide receivers this year, and that was before they traded their best corner, Marshon Lattimore, before the trade deadline. Tillman has been Jameis Winston's go-to guy, and there isn’t any reason to think that will change this week. Winston can be volatile, as fans saw a couple of weeks ago, but Tillman still had nearly 20 fantasy points, and that was against a much more talented defense than what he will see this weekend.
Sit 'Em: Jameis Winston, QB
Jameis Winston is going against his former team this weekend with one great start and one less than stellar game. I believe that the offense will be able to move the ball and score, but there's a good chance that Winston also turns the ball over this weekend, maybe multiple times, against a defense that is in the top ten in turnovers forced per game. Only two quarterbacks who have faced the Saints this year have scored 20 or more fantasy points, and as a result, it is best if you air on the side of caution and only start Winston if you have to. If your fantasy team is banged up or your quarterback is on bye, Winston might be able to get enough to win this week, but it is a risky play.
Start 'Em: Nick Chubb, RB
Running back Nick Chubb continues to work himself back from the devastating knee injury he suffered last season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Right now, he is averaging less than three yards per carry, and the Browns haven’t been able to run the ball consistently in the past few weeks. The burst and explosiveness aren’t quite there for Chubb, but he has been running with power and getting extra yardage. Now, with a couple of weeks to rest after getting himself back into action, he is going up against a team that struggles against the run. The Saints are allowing 5.2 yards per carry this season, which is the worst in the NFL, with multiple running backs scoring more than 20 fantasy points against them.
Sit 'Em: Browns D/ST
The New Orleans Saints offensive hasn’t been setting the world on fire this year, but neither has the Browns defense. The Browns' offensive struggles have led to the defense getting worn out, and eventually, they let up a couple of scores, but their fantasy output hasn’t been good. They have only been able to put together one performance in which they could put together double- digit points, and that was all the way back in week four against the Raiders when they had a defensive touchdown. Cleveland’s offense has been better, but they haven’t been able to force many turnovers, which has really hurt their fantasy output.
Start 'Em: David Njoku, TE
It took David Njoku a couple of weeks to get going after his injury, but over the past four games, he has had one and two games with double-digit points, including a 20-point performance, and two games with 7.9 points and above. One thing about Jameis Winston that will always be true is that he will give his guys a chance to make plays on some 50/50 balls, and we have seen that pay off to Njoku a couple of times, including once for a touchdown. He is the perfect red zone target for Winston, and I expect that to pay off this week.