Injuries and ineffectiveness have Watson’s trade and subsequent
contract teetering on the historic disaster range. After suffering
a shoulder injury that eventually knocked him out for the year,
Watson sat and watched a washed-up Joe Flacco lead Cleveland to
the playoffs. The Browns have gotten just 16 total touchdowns
and 12 games out of their monstrous investment, and it’s clearly
now or never for Watson. Cleveland has a solidly built roster
that’s ready to win, but will only go as far as Watson can take
them. This passing game is flush with weapons after the trade
for Jerry Jeudy, although Amari Cooper’s contract situation is
something to monitor. It’s been three years since Watson has been
an elite player and with damage done both physically and mentally,
it’s difficult to believe he can return to his peak Houston days.
The weapons, scheme, and situation in Cleveland certainly set
him up for fantasy success, but he’s way too much of a risk as
anything more than an upside QB2.
It seems injury was the only thing stopping Chubb, as his string
of elite RB1 seasons came to an early end in 2023. Off to another
eye-popping start with a 6.1 yards-per-carry average in his first
28 attempts, Chubb suffered a gruesome knee injury in Week 2.
No stranger to such setbacks as he suffered something similar
in college, Chubb nonetheless is deep into another lengthy and
complicated rehab. Career-ending if not for modern medicine, Chubb
is the heart and soul of this team, and while there remains no
specific timetable for his return, there are few players more
equipped to handle the physical and mental toll of the rehab process.
If he can manage to avoid the PUP list and participate in some
of camp that would be a tremendous sign, but I look for Cleveland
to be very patient with his return. It will take some time for
the power and explosion to truly return, but he’s most certainly
worth the early season stash with an eye on the 2nd half.
Whether he helped lessen the loss of Chubb, or suddenly gave
you an instant season long RB2, Ford saved plenty of fantasy squads
in 2023. Though he certainly lacked the consistency and week-winning
potential of Chubb, Ford held the running game together even after
late season injuries decimated the offensive line. He proved solid
in the receiving game as well with 44 receptions, and his 9 total
touchdowns gave him plenty of value across the fantasy scoring
landscape. It’s going to be quite some time until Chubb returns
to full-volume duty, so Ford should be counted on for at least
some early season work. The offseason additions of D’Onta
Foreman and Nyheim
Hines are depth signings, and despite some recent trade rumblings,
Ford is an important piece on a win-now team. Worth a mid/late-round
pick for his early season value, just be prepared for a diminished
role as Chubb returns to form.
A little touchdown regression knocked him down a few spots in
the rankings, but Cooper put up another solid campaign in 2023
with a 72-1250-5 line, despite missing two games. His 11-265-2
Week 16 line likely won plenty of fantasy championships, but the
storm clouds are gathering for the 2024 season. Trying to cash
in a final time, Cooper enters his age-30 season on the final
year of his deal. So far, he’s sat out all of the offseason,
including mandatory camp, and there’s a buzz that could
continue into late July. The offseason trade for Jerry Jeudy not
only puts a damper on Cooper being the lone threat out wide, but
also gives the Browns some leverage in negotiations. Missing camp,
or “holding in'' is a huge red flag, especially for guys
like Cooper who have a history of soft tissue injuries. If things
become copacetic between the Browns and Cooper, I’d be happy
to trot him out as a solid WR2, but the combination of a lengthy
camp absence and addition of Jeudy would present some major reservations,
especially at such a deep fantasy position.
Jeudy comes over to the Browns after a disappointing four-year
run with Denver. Injuries and inconsistency held him back from
being the playmaker the Broncos thought he could be when they
made him the 15th overall pick in the 2020 draft. Jeudy is fresh
off signing a fairly team friendly three-year contract extension
that keeps him hungry to continue to hone his craft. Never a high-volume
receiver in Denver, Jeudy is the clear No.2 in this passing game
that should see an increase in volume and pace with new OC Ken
Dorsey. But there’s a catch. If Cooper’s contract
stalemate stretches into a significant part of camp, Jeudy’s
value climbs into the WR3 range. If you also believe Watson can
return to his former glory, and a tweaking of the passing game
opens this offense up, then Jeudy becomes a sneaky value pick.
That’s lots of “ifs' ' for a guy who’s been
very, as the kids say, ‘mid” in the last four years,
and will likely mean he’ll cap out as a rosterable WR4/5
that plugs a hole from time to time.
In 2022 the Browns made the head scratching move of making Njoku
one of the highest paid tight ends in the league. Clearly Cleveland
was paying for what was to come, as Njoku had a career year in
2023 as a lynchpin player on offense. His 123 targets were 3rd
among tight ends and his 81 receptions for 882 yards and 6 touchdowns
were all career highs by a wide margin. Though he can struggle
with inconsistent hands, his elite measurables make him a threat
for all levels of the defense. While he was a league winner with
Flacco down the stretch of last season, the addition of Jeudy,
question marks around Watson and the change of the offense, leave
Njoku closer to the bottom of the TE1 pile than the top.
