(Right) USA TODAY Sports/Scott R. Galvin
While the Browns broke their 17-game losing streak in Week 1 with a 21-21 tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers, their winless streak still stretches back to Christmas Eve 2016. Believe it or not, they actually could be 2-0 if not for some special teams folies, but a 0-1-1 is most certainly more in line with the rest of the Hue Jackson era.
Rookie quarterback Sam Darnold and the Jets had plenty of hype following their 48-17 demolition of the Detroit Lions in Week 1, but they quickly fell back to earth with a 20-12 loss to their fellow AFC East foe, the Miami Dolphins. New York will be looking for their first 2-1 start since 2015.
For our Thursday Night Football preview, we decided to do what fantasy football players do best: draft teams. We selected players from tonight’s game and will see which one of us scores the most points, highlighting whether any one of them belongs in your season-long fantasy lineups. For this week, we will be using standard (non-PPR) scoring.
If two of you would like to play against another PFS reader, we set up a head-to-head matchup on Fantrax. The draft for the head-to-head contest is at 7:00pm. The game kicks off at 8:20pm.
Teams
| Postition | Mallet | Mike |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Tyrod Taylor | Sam Darnold |
| RB | Isaiah Crowell | Carlos Hyde |
| RB | Duke Johnson Jr. | Bilal Powell |
| WR | Jarvis Landry | Robby Anderson |
| WR | Quincy Enunwa | Antonio Callaway |
| TE | Chris Herndon | David Njoku |
| K | Jason Myers | Greg Joseph |
| D/ST | Jets D/ST | Browns D/ST |
By Round
| Pick | Mallet | Mike |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jarvis Landry | Carlos Hyde |
| 2 | Isaiah Crowell | Robby Anderson |
| 3 | Quincy Enunwa | Bilal Powell |
| 4 | Tyrod Taylor | David Njoku |
| 5 | Duke Johnson Jr. | Browns D/ST |
| 6 | Chris Herndon | Greg Joseph |
| 7 | Jets D/ST | Sam Darnold |
| 8 | Jason Myers | Antonio Callaway |
Round 1
1) Jarvis Landry
The most relevant fantasy entity tonight, Landry has caught 12 balls thus far for 175 receiving yards. His 22 targets are good for 10th best in the league.
On the surface, the matchup for Landry against the Jets pass defense looks fairly favorable. While the Jets have a league-high 5 interceptions and have allowed just 211 passing yards per game, the passing defense has not been truly tested, having been the beneficiary of poor game-planning by the Lions in Week 1 and the culprit of a 20-0 deficit against the Dolphins in Week 2.
A lingering knee injury is a slight cause for concern heading into tonight, but all signs point to him making the start. Landry owners should expect 10+ targets and a WR2 level production.
– Mallet
2) Carlos Hyde
Hyde has reached double digit fantasy points in the first two weeks, but that is mainly because he has fallen into the end zone from one yard out in each outing. He is averaging just 2.8 yards per carry through 38 attempts with a long of just seven yards.
Despite his incredible inefficiency, backup Nick Chubb has only received five carries on seven offensive snaps, so it does not seem as though Hyde’s job is in immediate danger. In standard scoring leagues, Hyde’s volume alone makes it likely that he will find pay dirt once again, so long as the Browns’ have less obvious obvious offensive signals than the Lions.
– Mike
Round 2
3) Robby Anderson
This pick should have been Qunicy Enunwa. I made all picks under duress and this was the biggest flub. My current apartment does not have internet and I maxed out my data on my phone for the month. I had this vague recollection of Anderson having done well recently. I need a better recollection.
Anderson has an uphill battle ahead of him if he expects to repeat his 941 yard, 7 touchdown 2017 campaign. He has been targeted just six times through two games, less than not only Enunwa but also Terrelle Pryor. He had outsnapped Pryor in both games, so maybe, just maybe Anderson can reel in a deep bomb and make this second round pick worth it.
– Mike
4) Isaiah Crowell
It is a redemption matchup for Crowell on Thursday night. After four uneventful seasons in Cleveland, Crowell was acquired by the Jets this past offseason. He burst onto the scene with the Jets in Week 1, rushing for two touchdowns and 102 yards against a very poor Lions rush defense. He followed that up with a dud against the Dolphins, though he did become a victim of game script as the Jets’ deficit grew in the first half.
Crowell has more value in standard scoring leagues than in PPR formats since he cedes most passing down work to Bilal Powell. In a “revenge” game, he could be in line for a few extra carries that could help him find the end zone.
– Mallet
Round 3
5) Quincy Enunwa
Enunwa’s stock has skyrocketed since the start of the season. The 71st WR taken in an average fantasy football draft, largely due to the combination of inconsistent play when he was healthy and missing the entire 2017 season with a neck injury, he is the consensus WR26 this week in both standard and PPR leagues.
Enunwa has had two very consistent weeks, catching more than 6 and 7 passes in the first two games of the year on 21 targets while registering one touchdown. Given his target share, he is severely underowned in ESPN and Yahoo leagues (62% and 66%), respectively. The Browns defense presents a respectable challenge for the Jets receiving corp, but Enumwa should get enough work to justify a WR2 start in fantasy.
– Mallet
6) Bilal Powell
In Week 1, Powell out-snapped (58 to 55) and out-touched (13 to 10) Crowell, but has overshadowed by the latter’s 102-yard, two-touchdown, performance in the Jets 48-17 rout of the Lions. Then, in Week 2, Powell became an integral part of the Jets’ passing game in the second half as they were attempting to rally from a 20-0 halftime deficit He recorded two 20+ yard receptions, one of which went for 6.
It is reasonable to expect Powell to receive at least 10+ touches per game going forward due to his versatility, a healthy volume that give him as good a chance at finding the end zone as many players in this game. He has a little more value in PPR formats , but still warrants flex discussion in standard scoring leagues. He is the consensus RB33 this week among the top 10 most accurate experts to-date on FantasyPros).
– Mike
Round 4
7) David Njoku
The good: Njoku has been targeted seven times in each of the first two games, showing that the Browns expect him to be a major part of their passing game. The bad: he had just seven catches for 33 yards total. The ugly: his case of the drops has carried over from the preseason.
Given that the Browns just traded Josh Gordon to the Patriots, it stands to reason that Njoku could be in line for even more work as long as his hands improve. Until he does that, he falls into the touchdown-or-bust tight end mold.
– Mike
8) Tyrod Taylor
The man under center for the Browns (at least for now) has been tough to figure out this year from a fantasy perspective. His value as a rusher shined in Week 1 with 77 rush yards and a rushing TD. In Week 2, though, his 47-yard touchdown to Antonio Callway in the 90 seconds helped him salvage a 15.4 fantasy point outing.
In addition to Taylor rushing ability, he has traditionally held value has a passer that throws very few interceptions. His career high in a season is just six, but he already has two this season. Nevertheless, Taylor’s risk-averse passing make him an uninspiring play in most fantasy leagues even factoring in his rushing ability. Among the two quarterbacks playing tonight, however, he has the edge.
– Mallet
Round 5
9) Duke Johnson Jr.
Typically a solid PPR asset, Johnson has been almost non-existent in the first two weeks for the Browns offense with only three receptions and eight rushing attempts.
Browns coach Hue Jackson said this week that Johnson needs to get more touches going forward, so he could be in line for a breakout this week. He remains a flex worthy play in most PPR formats, but he belongs squarely on your bench in standard leagues.
– Mallet
10) Browns D/ST
With Mallet having filled his QB, RB, and WR positions, it was time to take either a kicker or a D/ST. While the Jets D/ST has scored the most points through two weeks, they are being buoyed by knowing the Lions’ offensive signals in Week 1, turning that advantage into five interceptions and two touchdowns.
The Browns D/ST has had success that appears to be more sustainable. This unit has seven sacks over the first two games, including three against the best offensive line in football in the New Orleans Saints. The Jets rank 19th in Pro Football Focus’ metrics. Combine that ranking with a rookie quarterback and the Browns actually appear to have a solid fantasy floor.
– Mike
Round 6
11) Greg Joseph
The rookie from Florida Atlantic University had a solid preseason for the Miami Dolphins, going 3 for 3 on field goals and 2 for 2 on extra points, but ultimately lost the position battle to 7th round pick Jason Sanders. He was signed this week after the Browns cut the struggling Zane Gonzalez, who was dealing with groin injury, unbeknownst to the Browns, when he missed three field goals and two extra points in the first two weeks. Those points are the difference between the Browns being 2-0 instead of their actual record 0-1-1. Time will tell whether the kicking change reversed Cleveland’s fortunes.
– Mike
12) Chris Herndon
Could you have named a single Jets tight end before reading this article? I couldn’t.
Herndon is the highest ranked Jets tight end this week at consensus TE45, so we should all be forgiven for not having him on the our radar. The rookie out of Miami (FL) was targeted four times and recorded 30 yards last week, but fumbled a ball near the goal line that cost the Jets points before the half. Expect him to split reps with Eric Tomlinson (TE49).
– Mallet
Round 7
13) Jets D/ST
The Jets defense is definitely 2nd best out of the two defenses in the Thursday Night game but there is a good amount of upside in this matchup against a Browns team that has allowed 8 points to opposing fantasy defenses. Tyrod Taylor already has thrown 2 interceptions this year which is on pace to obliterate his former career high total of 6 in one season. Browns’ quarterbacks turn the ball over and so far Taylor has fit the trend.
The Browns are not exactly a well oiled machine on offense and there will always be a chance for turnovers and sacks for the opposing defense which make the Jets D/ST a viable option in all fantasy formats.
– Mallet
14) Sam Darnold
Darnold has done some nice things during his first two NFL starts, but his interception issues from his college days at USC are still readily apparent. Take his first career pass, a pick 6 in which he attempted to throw the ball all the way back across the field during a broken play.
While he did record 334 yards in Week 2 against the Dolphins, 80% of that production came after the Jets went down 20-0. His value his basically only resigned to dynasty leagues until he demonstrates improved decision making abilities.
– Mike
Round 8
15) Antonio Callaway
Considering I butchered my first WR pick, I took my chances on the high variance play of Callaway over the safe, but low ceiling Rashard Higgins and the possibly resurgent Terrelle Pryor.
Callaway bounced back from a target-less Week 1 to haul in 3 of 4 targets for 81 yards in Week 2, which included a game-tying 47-yard touchdown with 1:16 remaining in the game. The rookie out of Florida with 4.41 speed will have the opportunity to step into the role vacated by Josh Gordon. Additionally, Jarvis Landry has been dealing with knee issues all week, so Callaway could end up playing the WR1 role for Cleveland tonight.
– Mike
16) Jason Myers
Myers’ banner year was 2016, where he buried the most field goals from 50+ yards in the league as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since then, though, he has been cut by the Jaguars in the middle of the 2017 season and lost the position battle in Seattle to Sebastian Janikowski in the preseason this year.
Myers is 6 for 7 on PATs this year thanks to the Jets scoring outburst in Week 1. Additionally, he is a perfect 4 for 4 on field goals, which includes a 55-yarder. He buried a 58-yarder in preseason action as well, which should give fantasy owners some confidence when he gets opportunities. If the Browns defense continues to perform well, however, those opportunities may be few and far between.
– Mallet
Best Undrafted
Terrelle Pyror
Rishard Higgins
Reload document 
Open in new tab 
You must be logged in to post a comment.