Friday PM update: Ford is officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. He looked surprisingly healthy at Friday’s practice, so now there is a real possibility that Ford will suit up on Sunday.
#Browns list RB Jerome Ford (ankle), LT Jedrick Wills Jr. (foot/ankle), LB Sione Takitaki (hamstring), WR Marquise Goodwin (back) as questionable for Sunday vs. #Seahawks.
Deshaun Watson (right shoulder) is out.— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) October 27, 2023
Friday update: Ford is back at practice on Friday. While this is a good sign for him, it is still unlikely that he will play this week. Cleveland could list him as questionable, but the assumption is still that he will miss this week’s game.
OT Jed Wills (foot), WR Marquise Goodwin (back and RB Jerome Ford (ankle) all back at practice today #Browns
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) October 27, 2023
Thursday update: Ford didn’t practice on Thursday as expected, per Scott Petrak. We will likely see both Pierre Strong and Kareem Hunt get work in his likely absence this week, but Hunt is the better fantasy option.
Wednesday update: Ford is expected to miss 1-2 weeks with an ankle sprain, but the Browns do not plan on placing him on IR.
The #Browns do not plan to place RB Jerome Ford (ankle sprain) on Injured Reserve at this time, per source. He’s responded well to early treatment.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 25, 2023
Ford expected to miss 1-2 weeks with low-grade high ankle sprain, per @AdamSchefter
Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford sustained a high ankle sprain in Week 7 against the Indianapolis Colts. He is in a walking boot and is expected to miss several weeks. The Browns face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8 and the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9.
#Browns RB Jerome Ford (high ankle sprain) left the locker room in a right walking boot. WR Jaelen Darden was in a left one … Ford expected to miss at least a couple of weeks
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 25, 2023
Fantasy football implications for Week 8
With Ford out, we can expect Kareem Hunt to take over the run game. He already did to an extent last week — while Ford had more rushing yards, Hunt scored two touchdowns and finished with 10 carries for 31 yards. Now that he’s not splitting carries with Ford, we can expect Hunt to have a breakout week against the Seahawks.
However, Seattle has a solid run defense, allowing just 3.5 yards per carry for opposing running backs. Quarterback Deshaun Watson is considered day to day with a rotator cuff strain, and backup PJ Walker will start if Watson cannot.