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Staff Writer

2016 Player Outlooks: Cleveland Browns
7/1/16

 

Isaiah Crowell

Isaiah Crowell: Running backs on bad teams that don't catch many passes are inherently risky.


QB Robert Griffin III
(2015 QB Rank - N/A)

One of the least relevant fantasy football battles comes to us from the great state of Ohio. Unless you think the Cleveland Cavalier magic will rub off on the 2016 Browns, the winner of the quarterback battle in Cleveland shouldn’t make a lick of difference to fantasy owners. Griffin III, the former Washington Redskin savior was banished by his former team last year after he apparently forgot how to play any facet of the quarterback position. Snatched up by an equally desperate Browns team, Griffin enters the off-season program atop the depth chart. Whether he stays there remains to be seen. OTA reports from May and June have been less than glowing, and with veteran McCown ready to take over, Griffin has a mighty short leash going into training camp.

Griffin, while offering tremendous physical gifts, lacks something between the ears to be great again. A hallow shell of his former self, it will take an absolute miracle from new head coach Hue Jackson to coax production out of Griffin again. Cleveland’s quarterback of the future is wandering around a college campus right now, so from a fantasy perspective, do yourself a favor and look away from this train wreck.

QB Josh McCown
(2015 QB Rank - No.19, 22.7 FPts/G)

McCown is seemingly the anti-RGIII. Quiet and unassuming, the journeyman quarterback entering his 13th season has seen plenty of ups and downs in his career. When healthy last year, McCown was pretty darn effective. He had some tremendous early season games, namely a three-game stretch during Weeks 3, 4 and 5 where he averaged 384 yards and 2 touchdowns a game. The numbers are even more impressive when you consider the receiving talent he was throwing to. Travis Benjamin and Gary Barnidge could very well have been names of servers at the local Applebee’s for anyone outside of Cleveland was concerned, but for a few games in 2015 McCown gave this offense and team a spark they lacked for most of their morbid season. As much of a gamer as McCown is, he just cannot stay healthy and at 37 doesn’t offer anything to Cleveland’s future, and make no mistake, this team is a long way away from being a contender.

RB Isaiah Crowell
(2015 RB Rank - No.29, 7.4 FPts/G)

Earlier this offseason coach Hue Jackson said his new tandem of running backs was the best he’s seen in a while. But I’ve learned after years of following football that actions say more than words and the fact Cleveland failed to bring in anyone to challenge him, means Isaiah Crowell still has a chance to be this team’s primary ball carrier in 2016. Still developing as a runner after dominating at a small school for much of his college career, Crowell battled ball control and consistency issues for much of 2015. Despite an impressive rookie year that saw him rack up 8 touchdowns on only 148 carries, Crowell and the entire Cleveland offense took a step back last year. Because most games were blowouts early, the Browns were forced to abandon the run frequently, meaning Crowell wasn’t on the field for passing downs and they could never feed him the ball. Oddly enough, in the one 20-carry game he got all of last year, Crowell also had his best game, a 20-145-2 game vs. the 49ers in Week 14. Crowell has elite physical gifts, but so do lots of other guys. How he improves on the nuances of the position will determine how much trust coach Jackson has in him. Crowell is very much like Jeremy Hill, the back Jackson left behind in Cincinnati. Look for the Browns to lean heavily on the run game, and if they can keep most games at least competitive, Crowell should have a chance to improve his numbers. But running backs on bad teams, especially ones that don’t catch many passes are inherently risky, so don’t overdraft Crowell.

Update 7/14/16: Crowell's social media incident has caused his average draft position to tumble a good two rounds.

RB Duke Johnson
(2015 RB Rank - No.37, 6.5 FPts/G)

Johnson, 2015’s third-round pick from Miami was heralded for his NFL-ready receiving game, and he came as advertised. After not catching a pass in the first two games, Johnson went on to haul in 61 receptions for 561 yards and 2 scores in the other 14. The Browns version of Gio Bernard, Johnson figures to have an even bigger impact in 2016. With the Browns going decidedly run focused, Johnson has a chance to improve on his 104 attempts from a year ago. His 3.6 yard per carry average doesn’t inspire confidence, but the new coaching staff believes Johnson is more than an 3rd down back, and should Isaiah Crowell falter, Johnson could easily step in to absorb more carries. Where Johnson will have his most value (potentially more than his backfield mate Crowell) will be in PPR leagues. With the receiving corps consisting of Gary Barnidge, a rookie, and a smattering of other mediocre talent, Johnson could line up in the slot from time to time, something he did occasionally even last year. I think 180 touches is the absolute floor for Johnson, making him a very good value at his preseason average draft position. If you think the Browns will be as bad as everyone else, there is certainly a good argument to be made that Johnson possesses the higher upside in this backfield tandem.

WR Corey Coleman
(2015 WR Rank – N/A)

One of four receivers drafted in the 2016 draft by the Browns, Coleman joins his fellow rookies, a converted quarterback, a career role player and a perennially suspended superstar to make up the bulk of the Browns passing attack. Athletically gifted, but raw coming out of a spread based offense at Baylor, Coleman will be tasked with being a focal point of the offense. Undersized at 5’11, but possessing elite short area quickness, Coleman will benefit from the offensive scheme of Jackson. There will be no shortage of targets coming Coleman’s way, with Barnidge being the only other option out wide. With opportunities comes production, and Coleman has a chance to catch 60-plus passes this year, and that could give him WR3/4 value. He will be the first (and maybe only) Cleveland receiver rostered in fantasy this year.

WR Terrelle Pryor
(2015 WR Rank – N/A)

Some think Pryor, the converted quarterback, is a good bet to make the final roster based on athletic potential alone. An experiment still in progress, Pryor offers the talent strapped Browns some flash but if it weren’t for such a roster devoid of pass catching talent, Pryor’s Browns career would likely be over. I wouldn’t be shocked if Pryor were cut in camp. He’s 27 and still trying to learn a new position, and unless he proves to be a very quick study, is a long-shot to earn significant playing time. That prospect seems to throw a bucket of ice water on his already tepid fantasy prospects.

TE Gary Barnidge
(2015 TE Rank No.3, 9.9 FPts/G)

At this time last year, only the fiercest of football fans could tell you what team Barnidge played for. If you had the foresight to draft or pick Barnidge up before the season, kudos to you, because his elite top-3 finish had to win you something. The eighth- year tight end literally came out of NOWHERE in 2015 to post some eye-popping numbers. His 79-1043-9 line for the season nearly TRIPLED his previous career TOTAL stats. Rarely does a player come along and have the type of season Barnidge had last year, especially at the grizzled age of 30. So what gives? Did the previous coaching regimes fail to recognize the talent of Barnidge? Was 2015 an amalgamation of circumstances never to be repeated? Or does Barnidge possess the talent and opportunity to repeat as top-5 tight end in 2016? This is a tremendously important question going into the fantasy season. Honestly, not much changes for Barnidge’s situation this year. He’s still the No.1 option in the passing game, his quarterback play really can’t get worse than it was last year, and despite offseason hernia surgery, he should be healthy for camp. I have to think there will be a statistical regression, simply based on defensive game plan. While he came out white hot to start the year (5 of his 9 touchdowns, and his three 100-yard games came in Weeks 1-7), he slowed up some in the second half of the year as teams recognized his value to the offense. With no receiver commanding double teams, defenses can box Barnidge in with safeties and linebackers, limiting his value between the 20’s. He still has tremendous value in the red zone, and the touchdown potential alone should help him retain mid-tier TE1 value.