Cleveland Browns Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Browns HC Kevin Stefanski called Jerome Ford the team's "featured back" with Nick Chubb out for the rest of the season, according to insider Mary Kay Cabot. We'll see exactly what that means for Ford's snap rate and volume, but it's clear that he'll get the first crack at lead duties. He got off to a strong start in relief of Chubb on Monday night, ripping off 106 yards on 16 carries and catching three of four targets for 25 yards and a score. Kareem Hunt and Cam Akers are among the RBs the Browns are considering adding to the backfield, Cabot reports.

Browns HC Kevin Stefanski confirmed on Tuesday that RB Nick Chubb will undergo season-ending knee surgery to repair damage to multiple ligaments. We'll look for further details on Chubb's injury and timeline for return. It's certainly fair to question whether he'll be ready for the 2024 season opener.

Browns WR Amari Cooper hauled in 7 of 10 targets for 90 yards in Monday night’s loss vs. the Steelers. Teammate Elijah Moore saw major involvement again but was only able to turn 9 targets into 3 catches for 36 yards in Week 2. Despite Cooper dealing with a groin injury ahead of the contest, the Cleveland offense was funneled through their pair of top wideouts again for the second week in a row. TE David Njoku, who caught 4 balls on as many targets for 48 yards, was a bit of an odd man out. Both Cooper and Moore will be exciting players to start in lineups in Week 3 vs. the Titans.

Browns RB Jerome Ford ran the ball 16 times for 106 rushing yards in Week 2’s loss vs. the Steelers. The second-year back also added 3 catches on 4 targets for 25 yards and a score as a receiver in the game. Ford performed well in relief of injured teammate Nick Chubb (knee) and will be one of the most popular additions off of the waiver wire this week. HC Kevin Stefanski confirmed after the game that Chubb will be out for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Browns QB Deshaun Watson completed 22 of 40 attempts for 235 yards with 1 TD and INT apiece in Week 2’s loss vs. the Steelers. He also ran for 22 yards in the contest, though a pair of costly lost fumbles ate into his fantasy performance. Through two weeks of the season, Watson has been truly underwhelming. Fantasy managers hoping he would make a return to pre-suspension form are left wondering if that’s going to happen. Is it still possible? Absolutely, but the early returns are giving us little reason to be overly optimistic. We’ll see if he can do any better in Week 3 vs. the Titans.

Insider Jordan Schultz tweets that the Browns "fear" a season-ending knee injury for RB Nick Chubb. That's been the obvious assumption since the injury happened in the second quarter of Monday night's game in Pittsburgh. Schultz adds that Chubb is believed to have a dislocated knee and damage to multiple ligaments. We should get an official diagnosis within the next 24 hours. Chubb's 2023 is over. The question now is whether he can make it back for the start of the 2024 season. He turns 28 in December.

Browns RB Nick Chubb left Monday night's game in Pittsburgh on a cart after taking a shot to his left knee. ESPN declined to show replays of the injury, and Chubb could be seen denying a teammate who wanted to help him up immediately after. We'll watch for details on the injury, but it certainly doesn't look good. RB Jerome Ford entered and caught a TD pass on the ensuing play. (He then also ran in the 1-point conversion.)

Update: Chubb has been ruled out with a knee injury.

Browns WR Amari Cooper (groin) will be active for tonight's Week 2 game vs. the Steelers, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. This is certainly good news for fantasy managers, though a mid-week injury aggravation is never a good sign. We've got him conservatively lowered in our WR rankings.

On Monday, Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot tweeted that "there's some optimism" around WR Amari Cooper (groin) suiting up for Week 2 vs. the Steelers. Cabot adds that Cooper playing is "not a certainty" but that the Browns will see how the veteran feels in warmups and that "there's a chance" at a minimum. Be sure to check back before kickoff for any official word on his availability. Should Cooper not play, we expect a bump for fellow WR Elijah Moore in this primetime divisional bout.

Returning from a hamstring injury, Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy caught 3 balls for 25 yards in Week 2. His 85.7% route rate was fine, but it produced only 5 targets (a 15.6% team share). Courtland Sutton led the team in targets (7) and catches (5). Escaping this one without a setback, Jeudy should creep closer to 100% for Sunday’s showdown in Miami.

Browns WR Amari Cooper (groin) is "considered unlikely" to play vs. the Steelers on Monday night, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. We'll see if he can make it back for Week 3, but he should be on fantasy benches for this week. Cooper's absence will leave Elijah Moore and Donovan Peoples-Jones as Cleveland's top two WRs -- and give TE David Njoku more target upside.

Bears RB D'Onta Foreman will be a healthy scratch for today's game vs. the Bucs, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. That'll turn a three-way committee into a two-way committee with RBs Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson. Pelissero confirms that Johnson is expected to see an increased workload today. The rookie would still be a shaky Week 2 fantasy start, but he's worth grabbing if available in your fantasy league.

Browns WR Amari Cooper (groin) is listed as questionable for Monday night's game vs. the Steelers. That groin was added to the injury report on Saturday, when Cooper was limited in practice. That indicates that Cooper injured the groin in Saturday's workout. The Monday kickoff obviously makes this a tricky situation for fantasy owners. We'll look for further updates on Cooper. But his owners either need to have him on the bench, or have a Monday night alternative lined up. The Browns-Steelers and Saints-Panthers games are on Monday.

Update: Browns HC Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Cooper "aggravated" his groin in Saturday's practice. Cooper had core-muscle surgery this offseason. "We'll see how he does over the next 48 hours," Stefanski added.

Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) is not listed on the final Week 2 injury report. He practiced all week, including full workouts on Thursday and Friday. HC Sean Payton said Friday that Jeudy will not be on a snap count vs. the Commanders this weekend. There’s still elevated risk here, but Jeudy is in WR3 consideration in Week 2 fantasy lineups.

Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) was upgraded to full participation in Thursday's practice. He's on track to make his 2023 debut vs. the Commanders this weekend, although insider Benjamin Allbright expects Jeudy to be on a snap count. We'll look for further updates on the plan for Jeudy, but as it stands now, we'd try not to use him in Week 2 fantasy lineups.

Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) put in a limited practice on Wednesday. He was limited all three days last week before missing the season opener, so his status for Sunday's game vs. the Commanders remains uncertain. We'll update his progress again tomorrow.

Browns WR Elijah Moore led the team in receiving with 43 yards on 3 catches in Week 1’s win vs. the Bengals. Teammate Amari Cooper logged 3 catches for 37 yards, and TE David Njoku hauled in just 2 of his 3 targets for 24 yards. The rain in Cleveland made for a very run-heavy approach by the Browns’ offense on Sunday, but the target distribution is rather intriguing. Both Moore and Cooper received a team-leading 7 targets apiece in the divisional upset. We identified Moore as one of our big sleepers this offseason, and his Week 1 involvement indeed showed reason to be excited moving forward. We’ll see what QB Deshaun Watson and company can conjure up in Week 2 vs. the Steelers on Monday night primetime.

Browns RB Nick Chubb recorded 18 attempts for 106 rushing yards in Week 1's win vs. the Bengals. He also caught all 4 targets and 21 receiving yards through the air. This is yet another classic Chubb performance. Fantasy managers who drafted the veteran early got precisely what they paid for. Due to the poor weather in Cleveland, the Browns ran the ball a collective 40 times. One item to watch moving forward is the involvement of teammate Jerome Ford, a player who saw 15 carries and 36 rushing yards of his own on Sunday. We don't mention this to suggest we're concerned about Chubb's workload. But does the heavy RB2 involvement have more to do with the rainy conditions, or is this foreshadowing? We'll find out next week as the Browns travel to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers on Monday night primetime.

Browns QB Deshaun Watson completed 16 passes on 29 attempts for 154 passing yards with one TD and INT apiece. He also added 45 rushing yards and a TD on the ground on 5 carries. Aside from a bone-headed third-quarter INT to Bengals S Dax Hill, Watson played reasonably well in the rainy Cleveland weather. We’re still too early in the season to say that Watson is officially “back to form,” though he’ll have a solid opportunity to further prove himself next week against the Steelers on Monday night primetime. The Pittsburgh defense allowed the highest total offensive yards (391) of any team in the early slate of Week 1 vs. the 49ers.

Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) is officially inactive for today’s game vs. the Raiders. He got in three limited practices this week, so he should have a good chance of making his 2023 debut in Week 2. Jeudy’s absence today leaves Courtland Sutton and rookie Marvin Mims as Denver’s top two WRs.