Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 10th at 4:05 PM ET
Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Betting Odds: LAC -1.5, 46.5 Total on Oddsshark
Network: CBS
Cleveland Browns
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield (Sit)
Even in a 14-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Baker Mayfield had one of the most difficult days of his career on Sunday. The 4th-year quarterback had major issues with accuracy, missing wide-open receivers and completing well under 50% of his passes, meaning that he finished the game with only 9.3 fantasy points. While some put the blame on a nagging shoulder injury as the cause, Mayfield himself shut this down, saying it was not an excuse for his “piss poor performance.” It will be particularly frustrating for owners as Baker had been on a consistently good, if not exemplary, run of games to start the season and this was a big reminder that these sorts of games tend to happen every now and again for him. Now, Mayfield travels to Los Angeles to face one of the best defenses in the league at shutting down opposing QBs, as they average just 14 points against the Chargers. It will be a tough task for Baker and, for a player who has not shown that he has a particularly high ceiling for points this season, he should only be in your lineup if absolutely necessary this week.
Running Backs
Nick Chubb (Start, RB1), Kareem Hunt (Start, RB1)
It is pretty damn incredible that the Browns are managing to produce two Top 13 RBs in the same backfield. Snap counts are being shared much more equally than may have been predicted coming into the season, with the game against the Vikings being the first this year in which Kareem Hunt spent more time on the field than Nick Chubb. A large part of the team’s success is down to these two runners and one of the best offensive lines in the league, which allows them both to have a large amount of volume and ensures they can be productive at the same time on any given week. In PPR leagues, it may now be Hunt that is the more valuable of the two due to his considerable involvement in the passing game, which seemingly still does not affect his rushing usage. This was the second week in a row that Hunt has outscored Chubb and, with how he looked with the touches he was given, that trend may continue into the future. That is to take nothing away from Chubb who is the same player that we have come to expect, getting plenty of carries and consistently rushing for big yardage. The Browns will no doubt rely heavily on their running game again against the Chargers and you should have no concerns starting either of these backs.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Odell Beckham Jr. (Sit), Rashard Higgins (Sit), Donovan Peoples-Jones (Sit), Austin Hooper (Sit)
The injury to Jarvis Landy in Week 2 has really limited how good the Browns look in their passing game. At wide receiver, Dominic Felton is the only player to catch a touchdown through four weeks and no receiver has racked up more than 77 yards since Landry’s injury. Until Landry gets back, which is probably still a couple of weeks away, a major change in production would be very unexpected. Odell Beckham Jr. is undeniably the WR1 during Landry’s absence but has had an underwhelming last couple of weeks and just does not look like the player he once was. Against the Vikings, Beckham spent the majority of the time on the field but converted seven targets into just two catches and 27 yards. To be fair, part of this was due to Baker’s accuracy and Beckham should have had a long TD score if not for a terrible miss, but this complete lack of chemistry between him and his quarterback is part of the reason why he cannot be trusted on a consistent basis in fantasy. Baker and Beckham just never quite seem to be on the same page and this really limits how productive Beckham can be.
Outside of Beckham, Rashard Higgins and Donovan Peoples-Jones are the two receivers seeing the most amount of the field with Landry out. Both their numbers are incredibly sporadic though and the team’s lack of passing TDs really limits their ability to be anything close to viable in fantasy. Against a Chargers defense that is one of the best in the league at shutting down receivers, do not expect them to have much of an impact this week.
In Austin Hooper, David Njoku and Harrison Bryant, the Browns have a variety of options at the tight end position but none of them are particularly relevant in fantasy leagues. Hooper is the player who sees the most targets and snaps but his fantasy numbers are dependent on TD passes which the Browns just aren’t scoring right now. The competition from the other two also really limits his ceiling.
Los Angeles Chargers
Quarterback
Justin Herbert (Start, QB1)
It was another successful week for Justin Herbert as he led his team to a comfortable win over the Raiders on Monday Night Football. This means in his last two games he has completed 67% of his passes for 503 yards, seven touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Pretty good numbers. Against an average Browns secondary, he should be able to put up good numbers yet again to continue his chain of excellent performances early in the season.
Running Backs
Austin Ekeler (Start, RB1), Larry Rountree (Sit), Justin Jackson (Sit)
After his third consecutive game with more than 20 points, it is pretty clear that Austin Ekeler is one of the most valuable assets in fantasy. Against the Raiders, Ekeler rushed for 117 yards and a TD in only 15 carries while also continuing his production in the passing game, adding another TD through that method. Only Derrick Henry has outscored him so far and that might be a trend to continue long into the season. The only trouble is that this week, he faces a Browns team that is one of the best in the league at shutting down opposition run games. Through four weeks the Browns are yet to give up a touchdown to a running back, with offenses only averaging around 51 yards on the ground per game. It is a similar story for passes out of the backfield too, with the Browns just giving up 105 yards and a TD over the entire season. This will definitely be Ekeler’s toughest test of the year so far, but he can prove that he is not a matchup-dependent player with yet another strong performance.
Backups Larry Rountree and Justin Jackson have both been involved somewhat this year but have both looked poor when getting their touches and have no chance of being fantasy relevant unless Ekeler is out of the game.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Keenan Allen (Start, WR1), Mike Williams (Start, WR3), Jalen Guyton (Sit), Jared Cook (Sit)
Even in what was by far Keenan Allen‘s quietest performance of the year, the 29-year-old still managed to put up over 10 fantasy points and pass the eye test whenever he got involved. In PPR leagues you can always feel pretty confident starting Allen as an option because you know he is going to get a high snap count and bring in plenty of targets. While it is disappointing that he has not appeared to be the kind of red-zone target he was in the last couple of years, his high floor means that he is one player you do not have to worry about when picking your lineup for the week.
Mike Williams’s owners came crashing back to earth last week as he failed to produce much of anything after an incredible first three weeks. The former first-round pick pulled in just one catch for 11 yards in a very disappointing day for all the owners who might have finally had the confidence to put him in their lineups. The good news is that his early performances have shown to developed trust, as Williams was involved in 85% of offensive snaps, his highest rate of the year so far. Obviously, his usual game is going to fall somewhere in between his points from the first three weeks and this one, but it is probably likely to be nearer the higher of the two with the amount he is on the field and his red-zone threat.
Third-year player Jalen Guyton is the other receiver that sees plenty of the field, but this has not translated into any significant fantasy performances so far and there is nothing to suggest this will change.
Tight end Jared Cook had his best performance of the year against the Raiders, catching six passes for 70 yards and a TD. While Cook should be a good option to hold on your bench this year, it will be a tough matchup against the Browns and you should not expect him to replicate that kind of performance straight away. Tight ends average just 6.2 points on average against the Browns defense and Cook is bound to receive plenty of extra attention after his breakout performance for the team last week.
Statistics courtesy of Fantasy Data.
-Patrick McAndrew (@PMcAndrewNFL on Twitter)