It’s time to head to the island again. Fantasy Island that is.
With Thursday night in the books, you may (or may not) be scrambling to finish your line up for the weekend. We always start with the disclaimer that some in the Burgundy and Gold are not necessarily the best choice for fantasy football. John Riggins isn’t swaggering into ‘The Park’ to tell Ron Rivera to give him the ball. There could be a few diamonds in the rough you may want to look at if need be, however.
1. RB’s Antonio Gibson/J.D. McKissic
Don’t laugh; you could do a lot worse. If you went wide receiver and quarterback heavy early in the draft and figured you’d solve the running back problem on a week-to-week basis or used the top pick on Saquon Barkley, then you, my friend, need help.
Handcuffing these two last weeks would have given you 108 yards and a touchdown. In my league, that’s a tidy total of 21 points. Cleveland’s defense was pretty stout against the run last week but in week one, gave up two rushing touchdowns in the red zone to the Baltimore Ravens.
Different quality in competition? Sure.
Still, you’ve got problems if you’re trying to replace Saquon (or Raheem Mostert for that matter) so at least think about it.
2. QB Dwayne Haskins
Huh? The Dwayne Haskins that sports radio is passive-aggressively wanting to bench after two games in a new system.
Yes, that Dwayne Haskins!
Selecting the second-year pro has more to do with Cleveland. Fantasy Football is about matchups, and maybe, Haskins catches a break this week.
The Browns have five linebackers and a cornerback banged up coming into Sunday, among them, Olivier Vernon. No matter how deep a team is, going that far into your bench will affect how well the unit can play. According to Next Gen Stats, Haskins has had less time to throw than any quarterback in the league.
The Browns defense gave up 30 points to Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals last week. If you’re playing a weekly game, you can get Haskins cheap, and if he balls out, you’ve got a chance to win some serious money.
3. Washington Football Team Defense
This one is a hunch. With two outstanding running backs and two wideouts that can take it to the house almost any time, you have to assume the Browns will have a big play at some point. Washington’s defense did get to Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray three times last week, and Browns QB Baker Mayfield is no Kyler Murray in the speed department. Kendall Fuller should be ok to go, giving the secondary a boost. The front four are establishing themselves as a legit force in the pass rush department.
The Other Side (Cleveland)
We’re going to start looking at the other guys starting this week as well, but at least this week, with a twist. Odell Beckham Jr. is a player to stay away from him. It would seem an obvious choice to start him, and if you drafted him as an every-week guy, well, ok, but it’s been a slow start.
Beckham is getting his chances. He leads the team in targets with 16 but has only caught 7 of them for 96 yards. He’s had one big play so far this season.
If you drafted Odell, you want at least one big play a week.
That’s our list. Good luck! And happy fantasy playing!