Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 20th at 8:20 PM ET
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Betting Odds: CLE -4, 45.5 Total on Oddsshark
Network: NBC
Cleveland Browns
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield (Stream)
Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson put on a show Monday night and Mayfield gets the chance to do it again on primetime. There was a lot of talk about Mayfield’s struggles earlier in the year but he has turned it around lately. Mayfield now sits 10th in Ben Baldwin’s (of the Athletic) composite EPA+CPOE quarterback stat. While the Giants’ defense has been solid, it is not an elite unit you want to avoid. They are only ranked 18th against the pass (per Football Outsiders). Mayfield is a decent streaming option if you need a QB this week.
Running Backs
Nick Chubb (Start, RB1), Kareem Hunt (Start, Flex)
I encourage everyone to watch some Nick Chubb runs with the coach’s view. Once you do that, you will truly appreciate Chubb and his elite vision. He’s strong and can make defenders miss, but his vision is clearly his best trait. It has led Chubb to third in DYAR (per Football Outsiders) and that includes missing four and a half games. Chubb is a top RB play as long as he is healthy. Kareem Hunt was able to put in a much better performance last week in the shootout. Hunt has turned into a more volatile flex option with Chubb back, but that’s fine as the ceiling games win you fantasy weeks. Hunt is an efficient rusher in his own right. He is 21st in DYAR (per Football Outsiders) and is fourth in the league in his percentage of runs that gain more yards than expected (per NextGenStats). Hunt likely won’t have as explosive of a week against the Giants but is a solid option still getting 15 touches a game with Chubb in the lineup.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Jarvis Landry (Start, WR2), Rashard Higgins (Start, Deep Flex)
Jarvis Landry has been a solid option now that the Browns have gotten out of the terrible weather conditions. He has at least six receptions in each of the last three weeks. Landry is 28th in WOPR (per airyards.com) and 32nd in DYAR (per Football Outsiders). Landry will also avoid seeing too much of James Bradberry because he plays mostly in the slot. The Giants were without their top slot corner last week and have been susceptible to slot receivers. Rashard Higgins has taken over Odell Beckham Jr.’s deeper target role in the Browns offense. In doing so, he has become a boom/bust flex option. If you are desperate this week, you can go to Higgins.
New York Giants
Quarterback
Daniel Jones (Sit)
With Daniel Jones’ injury, he is completely unusable and probably should not be starting for the Giants. Jones’ one strength is his mobility and without that, he became a sitting duck in the pocket. He just cannot beat defenses with his arm right now and has regressed from his rookie season. Jones is 31st out of 35 quarterbacks in Ben Baldwin’s (of the Athletic) composite EPA+CPOE statistic. He has eight passing touchdowns through 12 games. It is the year 2020. He needs to do more than that. He was barely a fantasy option before the injury, and now without the rushing floor, he clearly is not.
Running Backs
Wayne Gallman (Start, Flex)
Wayne Gallman has proved to the rest of the league that he belongs. Before the past few weeks, there was a question if Gallman would even find a job next year. But he has proven that not only can he be efficient on the ground, but he can also post top 10 efficiency numbers. Gallman is now 10th in the NFL in DYAR (per Football Outsiders) and third in his percentage of runs that gain more yards than expected (per NextGenStats). The Browns pose no real threat to Gallam, ranking 21st in run defense (per Football Outsiders). Gallman is a solid flex option and can be more if he sees some touchdowns again.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Sterling Shepard (Sit), Darius Slayton (Sit), Evan Engram (Start, TE1)
With Daniel Jones struggling with injury and Colt McCoy the backup option, none of the Giants’ pass catchers have much fantasy relevance. The Giants had a total of 159 yards of offense last week. Yes, 159. No pass catcher can really muster anything usable in that. Sterling Shepard has been a player that relies on targets and receptions to get his fantasy production. He only has one touchdown on the year and with Jones regressing, he can’t even rely on the targets. Darius Slayton has shown that he can be a solid deep threat, but he is not much more than that. He is 25th in air yards (per airyards.com) but has not enough accurate passes to convert them to actual yardage. Evan Engram is listed as a start here more because of the state of the TE position than the Giants’ offense. He is eighth in routes run among TEs (per PFF) and fourth in targets. You really have no choice but to keep using a TE with that usage.
-Frank Costanzo (@FrankQBList on Twitter, Zzzonked92 on Reddit)