The Cleveland Browns are a team that has managed to turn it around in an incredibly short amount of time. In 2019, the Browns were bad. To be fair, that’s being nice about it. The Browns struggled on offense with head coach Freddie Kitchens but those days are dead and gone.
The Browns knew they had to address the offensive scheme and head coach and brought in Kevin Stefanski to install a proven system. With that single move, the Browns offense jumped from 22nd overall to 14th. Baker Mayfield improved and became more efficient in the passing game. He reduced his interceptions from 21 to just eight over the 2020 season, and increased his completion percentage from 59.4% to nearly 63%. And that was without having a complete offseason.
Now the Cleveland Browns head into the 2021 season with a full offseason and stability at the coaching position. Baker Mayfield and the Browns offense will have time to dive deeper into Stefanski’s system. This season could mean even more production from the various offensive skill players. This could mean even more fantasy football production from these Browns players. So let’s go over some of the players you should be targeting out of Cleveland.
Baker Mayfield
Now I’m not going to say that you should be taking Baker Mayfield to be your QB1 this season. That would be preposterous. The Browns are more of a run-heavy offense (we’ll get more into that later in the article) but Baker can still produce. Baker finished as the QB17 last year. If Baker is going to do some damage as a passer this season, averaging 15.5 fantasy points per game (26th) isn’t going to cut it. Baker will have to up the touchdown tosses and passing yardage to get higher in the quarterback rankings, but he certainly has the chance to do it.
The Cleveland Browns have one of the best offensive lines in the league, if not the best. This will allow time for Baker to get those passes off. The Browns offensive line gave Baker a league-high 2.6 seconds in the pocket. They also gave up the 7th fewest sacks in the league in 2020.
Baker has both time and protection up front for the first time of his career, at least in my opinion. And with the prospect of a new deal on the table, it will be the perfect opportunity to put up career numbers this season to secure the bag. But Baker isn’t alone. That run game is the truth!
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt
Nick Chubb is a bonafide running back in the NFL. Bar none. The dude is a beast. Tell me how someone can miss four games in a season and still finish as a top-15 fantasy running back. Chubb averaged 5.6 yards per carry, 7th in rushing yards, while averaging the 9th most fantasy points (17.3) among running backs.
All of this while getting just 18 targets out of the backfield. Mind you, these stats are in PPR formats. If Chubb had played the entire 16 game season, he would have been inside the top-5 without issue. If you had any concerns about Nick Chubb with Kareem Hunt in a shared backfield, you shouldn’t. The Browns went and locked up Chubb on a three-year deal worth $36 million just this offseason. Chubb is the focal point in the Browns ground game and he’ll look to continue to stomp over defenders on his way to the endzone.
Despite having Chubb as the lead-off back, that doesn’t mean Hunt doesn’t have a substantial role in the offense. Hunt saw 58 targets out of the backfield in 2020, and is the handcuff for Chubb in the event that he goes down.
Hunt averaged 4.2 yards per carry, but his best attribute is his versatility out of the backfield. If Chubb gets the edge in rushing, Hunt’s advantage is his usage in the passing game. Hunt averaged nearly 14 fantasy points per game in 2020, finishing as the RB10 with 11 total touchdowns.
The Pass Catchers
I wanted to cover the wide receivers and tight ends in one segment. I think these players are kind of overshadowed by the fact that the Browns run game is so good.
Odell Beckham is returning from injury, but people are fading him. I think this is a mistake. I’m not expecting Beckham to go nuts and be heavily targeted. Those days are gone. But Beckham can still command a large share of targets.
The Cleveland Browns finished with the 5th lowest pass attempts in the league in 2020. Jarvis Landry led the team in targets with 101. That’s about 20% target share. I’m looking at that kind of share, or just a bit more this season for Beckham if he can stay on the field.
Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, and Donovan Peoples-Jones look to round out the wide receiving group. While they may hold some value if an injury pops up, the passing volume isn’t there to support all of them. Last season, only Higgins had more than 50 targets. Even with a boost in passing attempts out of Baker in a contract year, I can’t see any them being relevant. Beckham and Landry are the WRs to target.
Austin Hooper is another interesting player that could have some value in later rounds. Hooper finished with 70 targets last season but only played 13 games. He averaged about just over five targets a game. If we included the three missed games, his average would bump him up to about 86 targets. With that total, he would be inside the top-12 in targets among tight ends.
With recent reports coming out of Cleveland that Austin Hooper could see an expanded role in the offense, there could be real fantasy potential.
The Wrap Up
The Cleveland Browns sport some good fantasy prospects this year. Another offseason with the same coaching staff should do wonders for Baker Mayfield and the offense. The offensive line is one of the best of the league and should continue to fortify the passing and running game; while Baker should be more than incentivized to perform well in his contract year.
While Baker likely isn’t a player you’re going to take in 1 QB leagues, he should be a target in Superflex leagues. You may also want to keep tabs on him through the waiver wire just in case of injury or as a bye week fill-in. Baker is currently coming off draft boards as the QB17 per FantasyPros.
Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry will likely be the wide receivers coming off the board first for the Browns. Their current ADP has them being drafted as the WR27 and 40 respectively. If you’re looking for potential value, Landry would be the one to target in my opinion. Beckham’s WR27 ADP puts him just outside of a WR2 for fantasy.
Beckham should still be one of the wide receivers to see the larger share of targets among all the Browns receivers. I would take him over players like Kenny Golladay, who are in the same area as Beckham. Higgins and DPJ are guys that should be targeted in deeper roster formats, dynasty leagues, or added to watch lists just in case injuries rear their ugly heads again.
Austin Hooper’s ADP puts him as the TE22 off draft boards. He’s strictly in sleeper territory so you won’t have to use a draft pick to grab him. Hooper is a tight end that you can add to your watch list and hope he starts to catch on during the season.
