The Cleveland Browns bounced back in week two with an 18-13 road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars to even their record at 1-1. On the fantasy football side of things, quarterback Deshaun Watson had the best fantasy output of the week, scoring 15.44 points, with his rushing touchdown giving him the edge over the team’s second-leading scorer in wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, who had 12.3 points. The Browns had one more player score double-digit fantasy points against the Jaguars, as wide receiver Elijah Moore had 10.4 points.
Cleveland returns home this week as they welcome another NFC East team, the New York Giants. Last week, the Giants also had three offensive players who finished with double-digit points: rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers had 28.7 points, and his quarterback Daniel Jones scored 18.32 points against the Washington Commanders. In their season opener, the Giants had two players score slightly over 11 points as their offense, like the Browns, struggled in week one.
Start ‘Em: Browns Defense
During his time in New York, quarterback Daniel Jones turned the ball over 66 times while playing in 62 games. He opened the season against the Minnesota Vikings with two interceptions before playing a good game in week two with no turnovers. Neither the Vikings nor the Commanders have the pass rush and talent that the Browns defense has. The Giants have a fantastic left tackle in Andrew Thomas and a talented young center, but overall, the unit is average. With a turnover-prone quarterback, the Browns defense could have a good fantasy output this week.
The Browns haven’t come up with a turnover in the first couple of weeks, but they have dropped multiple interceptions, something they won’t continue to do. Last year, the Browns' defense played their best when they were in front of the home crowd, and they will be looking to stack dominant performances against one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
Sit ‘Em: Amari Cooper, WR
Wide receiver Amari Cooper has had a rough start to the season with three dropped passes, one of which was a walk-in touchdown that he catches nine times out of ten. He won’t struggle all season. He only has five receptions, but quarterback Deshaun Watson is looking his way and has targeted Cooper 17 times in two games. However, with other pass catchers playing well until Cooper shows he is back to his old self, keeping him on the bench for now is safer. In two weeks, the Giants' defense allowed only one wide receiver to score double-digit fantasy points, and that was the Vikings' Justin Jefferson.
Start ‘Em: D’Onta Foreman, RB
After playing just one snap in the first game of the season, veteran D’Onta Foreman was the lead back against the Jaguars. The team struggled with penalties last week, and that wiped out over 20 rushing yards for Foreman, one of which was a facemask committed by the running back. In two games this year, the lead back for the opposing offenses against the Giants scored 18.9 points and 14.6 points, respectively. Last week against the Commanders, the Giants also allowed the team's second running back to score 11.5, giving Foreman a prime chance to have a good fantasy game this week at home against New York.
Start ‘Em: Jerome Ford, RB
It might seem crazy to start two running backs on the same team, but Jerome Ford’s pass-catching ability makes him worth the start in your flex spot. Through two games, he is the Browns team leader in fantasy, scoring a total of 26.3 points to start the season. Ford has a similar usage as Austin Eckler with the Commanders, who had a good game against this Giants defense last week. The Browns run game overall was better against the Jaguars, and if they can get either Jack Conklin or Jedrick Wills Jr back this week, it could take another step forward against the Giants.
Sit ‘Em: Deshaun Watson, QB
The Browns signal caller played a much better game in week two, but it isn’t enough to feel comfortable starting him as your fantasy quarterback this week. Though Deshaun Watson played well enough to win and took care of the football without multiple touchdowns, his fantasy value is still uneven. The Giants only allowed 13.44 points to Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels last week, even though his running ability gives him higher value than some in fantasy football terms. This could be the game in which Watson shows he is back to being fantasy-relevant, but until that happens, it’s best to keep him out of the lineup again this week.