At 2-7, it’s fair to say this has been a lost season for the Browns. Yet, while the team has little to play for other than pride, there’s reason for hope on offense going forward. While he’s still turnover prone, backup-turned-starter Jameis Winston has been a major upgrade at quarterback over Deshaun Watson. With Amari Cooper traded to the Bills, second-year wide receiver Cedric Tillman has emerged as a playmaker. Tight end David Njoku has looked more like last year’s Pro Bowl selection in recent weeks.
Nick Chubb playing at all is good news after the running back tore his MCL and injured his ACL last season. However, the four-time Pro Bowler hasn’t looked like himself. In three games, Chubb has carried the ball 42 times for 113 yards (2.7 YPC) and a touchdown. Cleveland’s offensive line has done their star few favors, but it’s clear that he’s not at 100% right now.
Luckily for the Browns, a get-right game could be brewing this Sunday when they visit New Orleans. The Saints might be the league’s unluckiest team, suffering major losses on both sides of the ball. While Derek Carr and company did pull off an upset win over the Falcons last weekend, this is still a team that’s been spiraling for nearly two months.
On defense, the Saints are one of the NFL’s worst; they’ve given up the fourth-most yards per game to opposing teams this year (385.6 YPG). The interesting thing about New Orleans is that they have no one weakness, ranking 27th or worse in both rushing yards and passing yards allowed. That makes projecting Cleveland’s offensive approach a difficult task.
Playing a beatable defense coming out of a bye week is a dream scenario for the Browns. That’s especially true for Chubb, who hasn’t been able to capitalize on a massive workload so far. Since returning in Week 7, he’s outpacing the rest of Cleveland’s running backs in carries (75%) and touches in the red zone (100%).
Even if Winston slings the ball downfield for most of the afternoon, anything that gets the ball to the goal line puts the Browns’ RB1 in position to deliver. Consider this a make-or-break week for starting Chubb in your fantasy football lineups. If he can’t get it done against these Saints, it’s just not his year.
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