Tag: D’Ernest Johnson

Chubb had highest explosive play percentage among RBs; Hunt, Johnson in the Top 10

Explosive plays don’t just come from the passing game. Chubb, Hunt and Johnson took advantage of their carries with high percentages of explosive plays:

The Cleveland Browns were a strong running team in 2021 and have been since head coach Kevin Stefanski took over the team. The Browns were a top ten in the number of times running the ball versus passing. With a great offensive line and a stable of running backs that any team would be jealous of, it made a lot of sense.

By the end of the season, Cleveland’s rushing attack was the fourth best in the NFL, less than a half a yard behind the Baltimore Ravens yards per game average for tops in the AFC North.

Having Nick Chubb signed to an extension and Kareem Hunt as his key backup, the Browns had depth and needed it. Both Chubb and Hunt missed some games which gave D’Ernest Johnson a chance to shine as well.

In 2021, all three of Cleveland’s running backs were among the top ten in explosive play percentage for their position with Chubb taking the top spot:

Hunt and Johnson barely met the 100 touch minimum threshold but their presence shines a light on the team’s offensive line, play calling and their explosiveness. While Jonathan Taylor had more big plays than Chubb, he also had more than 100 more chances to do so.

With Deshaun Watson and Amari Cooper in the fold, Cleveland could have a more balanced run-to-pass ratio in 2022. They hope to continue to be explosive no matter which part of the offense is being featured.

Kareem Hunt a trade candidate after D’Ernest Johnson is tendered

With D’Ernest tendered, Chubb leading the way and Felton developing, Hunt could be a trade candidate to help fill needs on the rest of the roster:

The Cleveland Browns are in the middle of trade rumors surrounding Deshaun Watson but that isn’t the only possible movement with the team.

So far, based on news and reports, the following has been the start to their offseason:

We noted in the Johnson piece that the level of tender the Browns gave Johnson could set him up to be traded to another team interested in his services.

The other side to the trade possibility is that Kareem Hunt is considered expendable based on the return of Johnson. With Nick Chubb leading the way, Johnson would provide a solid backup especially if the team can get him on a reasonable multi-year deal.

Cleveland also drafted Demetric Felton last year and he would provide depth and a pass-catching threat out of the backfield and as a receiver, as Hunt often is.

Hunt has been a very good player for the Browns since arrival but only has one year left on his contract. Hunt’s $6 million yearly average is the 13th highest among running backs with his teammate Chubb sixth in the league.

At that price, and set to become a free agent, Cleveland may benefit in the big picture from moving the Ohio native. Whether it is for draft considerations, to help fill needs at wide receiver or on the defensive line, or as a part of a trade for a player to upgrade one of those areas of weakness, Hunt’s departure only makes sense if it helps build up the team overall.

If the Browns really are interested in trading for Watson, Hunt could be a part of that deal while helping Andrew Berry and company to keep some draft capital to upgrade the roster.

Cleveland does not need to trade Kareem Hunt but could choose to deal from a place of significant depth, if Johnson returns, in order to shore up the roster in another area.

Browns tender D’Ernest Johnson Browns as a restricted free agent but at an interesting level

That the Browns have tendered D’Ernest as a restricted free agent isn’t a surprise, the tender level is and could lead to a trade this offseason:

The Cleveland Browns have a few important decisions to make this offseason. So far they have taken care of a few, some bigger than others:

The team still has some big name, big paid players that they could move on from and save cap space. Jarvis Landry is the most obvious name among that group given his social media posts recently.

The biggest free agent for the team is Jadeveon Clowney but a report this week says he will not be returning.

That left D’Ernest Johnson as one of the last lingering issues with uncertainty. According to multiple reports, first by Brad Stainbrook of The OBR, the team will tender him to make him a restricted free agent.

Of most interest is the level at which they are tendering him according to Stainbrook and, later, Ian Rapoport:

The team intends to offer Johnson a right of-first-refusal tender, sources say.

That means that Johnson can shop his services to any team but Cleveland has the right to match that offer. If they do not, they do not receive any compensation. The Browns could have tendered him in a way that if another team signed him it would require compensation but that often limits teams from making offers.

The most likely scenario is that Cleveland retains Johnson’s service either on a one-year contract (via the tender) or matching another team’s offer. The Browns could also negotiate a trade if another team wants the running back enough so that they get some compensation for not matching the offer.

Still some things up in the air with Johnson, especially with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt already well paid in the team’s backfield, but we know he be a restricted free agent after today’s news.

These 19 Browns will be free agents after the 2021 season ends

The pending free agents from the 2021 Cleveland Browns

With the end of the 2021 season coming soon, several Cleveland Browns will be spending their last weeks with the team. There are 19 current members of the Browns roster whose contracts expire when the disappointing 2021 season ends.

Here are the 19 players who will be free agents after the season, in order of 2021 salary. Restricted free agents are designated with the RFA label. Exclusive rights free agents are not included.

Browns make flurry of roster moves to open Week 18

D’Ernest Johnson is headed to reserve/COVID-19.

The Cleveland Browns had a long list of transactions on Tuesday as they prepared for Week 18.

Not only is quarterback Baker Mayfield getting surgery and ending his season early, but the Browns have done the following:

  • activated linebacker Elijah Lee from the reserve/COVID-19 list,
  • placed running back D’Ernest Johnson and safety Javonte Moffatt (practice squad) on the reserve/COVID-19 list,
  • waived quarterback Kyle Lauletta and tackle Alex Taylor (reserve/COVID-19),
  • signed tight end Nick Guggemos to the practice squad,
  • and, finally, restored quarterback Nick Mullens and safety Tedric Thompson to the practice squad from reserve/COVID-19.

That’s how Cleveland kicked off their week as they ready themselves for the Cincinnati Bengals, who are fresh off a win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. It’s likely Mullens will serve as the backup quarterback for that game. Quarterback Case Keenum is expected to be the starter.

The loss of Johnson may not have a major impact, if the Browns have both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Hunt missed last week’s game with an injury. That said, Johnson is eligible to return in time to play under the NFL’s new rules about a five-day turnaround after hitting the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Browns and Bengals kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

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Browns strength versus Steelers weakness could decide Monday Night Football

Some season-long stats clearly show us a strength versus weakness but can the Browns take advantage, unlike the first time the two teams played?

The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers matchup for the second time this season, this time on Monday Night Football. The stakes are quite high for both teams. Whoever loses the game (or if it is a tie), is out of the playoff picture. The winner could still be competing for the AFC North crown depending on how things play out on Sunday.

It will also be Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger’s last home game.

In their first matchup, Pittsburgh scored the final 12 points of the game, two touchdowns with failed extra points due to an injury to their kicker. The Cleveland offense struggled to get much going on the ground while missing Kareem Hunt (who could miss Monday as well).

Weeks later, the two teams match up again with a very clear area of strength versus weakness showing up:

In Week 8, Nick Chubb only rushed for 61 yards on 16 carries. D’Ernest Johnson, filling in for Hunt, had four carries for 22 yards. Eight weeks later, will the results be different or will the Steelers be able to load up against the run and force QB Baker Mayfield and the passing game to be the key to the offense?

Chubb had a rough couple of weeks since returning from the COVID-19 list but really showed more flash in Week 16. With a couple of extra days of rest (played Saturday and now on Monday night), Chubb should be fresh to go against whatever defense Pittsburgh throws his way.

DFS Fantasy Football: Favorite Pro Plays – Week 10

WinDailySports’ CEO Jason Mezrahi checks in with his top Week 10 DFS fantasy football for FanDuel and DraftKings

Top-ranked daily fantasy sports pro Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite DFS plays at various salary ranges for Week 10 of the NFL season. We are back for another year of DFS domination and we have some new tools to take advantage of from my team over at WinDailySports.com.
 
Our projection model, lineup optimizer, and data tools have been revamped and back tested to start the season off right. So what I will do in this article is list some of our highest projected players based off raw points and our highest point-per-dollar plays based on DraftKings.com pricing. Special Huddle Member Discount: If you would like to give our membership at Win Daily a try, take advantage of a FREE 2-week promotion where you will gain an all access gold pass to our DFS package. Use promo code “thehuddle” at checkout for 2 weeks FREE for both our DFS Gold Package. Sign up now.
 
 
These are some of the players Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel for this weekend’s slate.

Quarterbacks

Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

$7,600 DRAFTKINGS
$8,300 FANDUEL

Tom Terrific or Tompa Brady … whatever the Goat is being called these days doesn’t change much with regards to his fantasy production. Will he finish as the top quarterback on the slate? The matchup looks great, but it also does for Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Aaron Rodgers and others. What I can tell you is Tom has as safe a floor as any of the top quarterbacks roughly sitting around 20 points, and he has a ceiling of 40. The man has averaged 27.6 and is in the race, which I’m sure he wants to achieve, for NFL MVP. Brady has 2,650 yards passing with 25 touchdowns and only five interceptions. The man is balling, and I guess 40 is the new 20 in football years. The matchup versus the Washington Football team is great. Washington ranks 32nd against opposing quarterbacks and is allowing a league-worst 286.8 passing yards per game. I will have both cash and tournament stacks with Brady paired with both Chris Godwin (if he plays) and Mike Evans in Week 10. 

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

$6,900 DRAFTKINGS
$8,100 FANDUEL

There are a lot of quarterbacks coming off shocking losses and some controversy in Week 10, and I want shares of all of them. One of the biggest surprises was the Cowboys nearly getting shut out by the Broncos, outside of a couple late drives in a meaningless fourth quarter. The Cowboys were embarrassed, and I’m sure they have enough bulletin board material to come back with a vengeance in Week 10. The Falcons are a team I want to consistently pick on as they have a capable offense that can score combined with a below-average defense. The Falcons are allowing 26 points per game and that trend should continue this week. We have a game total of 55, which should lead to fantasy goodness for Dak and the Cowboys in Week 10. 

Running Backs

Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

$7,900 DRAFTKINGS
$9,400 FANDUEL

This rookie has total control of the Steelers backfield and you will hardly see him on the sidelines while Big Ben is under center. All his metrics are through the roof, and it gives me confidence to roll him knowing that even in a bad game we can expect 20 points on DraftKings. Now let’s look at the upside that the Lions bring to the table. Detroit ranks 31st against opposing running backs and 31st in scoring by allowing 29 points per game. The Steelers to start the season have faced some tough matchups against some good to great defenses, which has limited Harris at times for those big breakout games. But this game is different and should set up nicely for a 30-plus-point performance, if everything goes as planned. My prediction is a career-high, 125-plus-yard rushing performance and two touchdowns, which will be a nice landing spot in both tournaments and cash games.

D’Ernest Johnson, Cleveland Browns

$4,700 DRAFTKINGS
$5,400 FANDUEL

We do need some value on this slate and there is none safer than Johnson at the running back spot. The Browns are a run-first offense and any starting running back is a plug-and-play option for me. The price is right for Johnson, and the Patriots rank 20th against the opposing running back on the season. This won’t be a fast-paced game, but the last time Johnson assumed the lead role in Cleveland he torched a better defense in the Broncos for 146 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown. I will take a repeat performance of that at this price tag and role with Johnson in both cash games and tournaments.  

Wide receivers

Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

$7,900 DRAFTKINGS
$8,700 FANDUEL

I have a pretty, pretty, pretty good feeling (as Larry David would say) that Rodgers will want to make a statement on the field and that means a big day is coming for Adams. He has two monster games on the season, and the rest have been rather pedestrian. I have this one pegged as the third-best matchup that the Seattle Seahawks present with Russell Wilson back at quarterback. Wilson doesn’t play defense, of course, so some may wonder why I even mentioned him. The reason being is the Seahawks can now push tempo and pace with someone who can go blow for blow versus Rodgers and the Packers. The over is set for 49, and as long as the weather is clear, we should see a tight, 50-plus-point game in which I want shares of. The Seahawks defense is allowing close to a league worst in both passing and total yardage, which leaves me to believe we will see a 100-plus-yard performance from Adams in Week 10.

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

$6,900 DRAFTKINGS
$7,400 FANDUEL

With Antonio Brown trending towards not playing in Week 10 a ton of my lineups will have shares of either Evans or Godwin. With Godwin missing practices on both Wednesday and Thursday, this foot injury has me concerned that he will either miss or will be limited on Sunday. With that being the case, I will be loading up on shares of Mike Evans. He is a red zone threat, and whenever he has been presented the opportunity to be the highlight of this offense he has achieved greatness. All signs are pointing towards a big week with a matchup versus the Washington Football Team. Washington’s defense is bad, regardless of any metric you judge them by. They rank 32nd in PPR at defending wide receivers, 32nd in passing yards allowed, 29th in total yardage, and 29th in points allowed. Expect a big day from Evan in Week 10. 

Tight ends

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

$5,800 DRAFTKINGS
$6,900 FANDUEL

The tight end pool is shallow in Week 10. I have one goal in mind: As pessimistic as it sounds, I want to avoid land mines and simply find ways to hit value at different price levels. I’m looking for safe floors to land on where my expectations are 2-3x their price. Pitts has been up and down all season but lands himself a great matchup in Week 10. After the first time Ridley got ruled out, everyone loaded up on Pitts and he disappointed. The same thing happened last week as well, and now most of those people who were burned won’t go back a third time. The Cowboys rank 20th against opposing tight ends and are currently allowing 270 passing yards per game. With the Over/Under set for 55 in this matchup, I expect a high-scoring game with the Falcons playing from behind. The targets have been there for Pitts as he received 40 targets in the past five games. The upside is there along with the floor, so Pitts will be my most rostered tight end in Week 10.

Pat Freiermuth, Philadelphia Eagles

$3,900 DRAFTKINGS
$5,100 FANDUEL

Big Pat is a threat in this offense, and he has emerged as one of, if not the, favorite targets of Big Ben. Freiermuth catches tough balls and immediately found his role in this offense. He is starting to rack up targets and earning red zone looks. He scored three touchdowns in the past two games and has double-digit fantasy points in all three games. The Lions are ranked 11th against opposing tight ends and are allowing 29 points per game, which is the second highest in the league. This should be a faster-paced game for the Steelers, who have had tough matchups over the past five games. Freiermuth provides a nice value and floor combined with some upside in Week 10. 

Good luck in Week 10, and if you ever have any questions, please hit me up on Twitter!

Jason Mezrahi has been a professional, top-ranked Daily Fantasy Player on FanDuel and DraftKings for more than eight years. He has won FanDuel’s $155,555 King of the Diamond competition and placed second in DraftKings’ Fantasy Basketball World Championship, earning him $300,000. He owns and operates WinDailySports.com, which supports the DFS and Sports Betting community with resources such as tools, projection models, expert chat, in-depth written analysis and podcasts, plus much more.

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D’Ernest Johnson has hilarious TD celebration planned

D’Ernest Johnson has a plan the next time he reaches the endzone but needs his teammates to remember their roles for the celebration:

Running back D’Ernest Johnson showed that he was ready for his big moment in the spotlight on Thursday Night Football. Johnson was called upon to replace Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, both injured, in a vital matchup on primetime television for the Cleveland Browns.

The former fisherman delivered in his first big opportunity.

Johnson ran for 146 yards and a touchdown while adding two receptions for 22 yards as well in Week 7 against the Denver Broncos. His play earned him a game ball and a dousing of water by his teammates.

It also earned him Pro Football Focus’ highest running back grade on the season.

The only thing Johnson wasn’t prepared for was a proper touchdown celebration to commemorate the moment. He has a plan to rectify that the next time he gets in the endzone. He plans to celebrate by referencing his time working on a fishing boat:

With Chubb expected back in the lineup but Hunt on injured reserve and likely missing a few more games, at least, Johnson could have his chance to score against Pittsburgh in Week 8. This time, he has a plan but needs his teammates to remember their roles.

D’Ernest Johnson earned the highest PFF game grade for any RB this season

Johnson earned a 90.0 score in his first career start in Week 7

D’Ernest Johnson announced his presence in the Cleveland Browns starting lineup with authority. Johnson filled in at running back for injured stars Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in Thursday night’s win over the Denver Broncos and lit up the Denver defense with one of the top rushing games of the season.

In fact, Johnson’s performance earned him the highest Pro Football Focus grade for any running back through the first seven weeks. Johnson logged a 90.0 rushing grade for the game. No other RB, not even Tennessee’s Derrick Henry, has topped that.

Much of the elite grade comes from Johnson creating 75 yards after contact on his 22 carries. He finished with 146 yards in his first career start.

Interestingly, the player Johnson knocked out of the top single-game rushing grade for the year? Kareem Hunt, who earned an 89.3 rushing grade in Week 3.

D’Ernest Johnson doused with water by teammates following big game

D’Ernest Johnson’s big breakout game earned him a game ball and dousing of water from his excited teammates after Thursday’s win:

The Cleveland Browns defeated the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football on the back of running back D’Ernest Johnson and the offensive line. Johnson, stepping in for the injured Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, had a career day with 22 carries for 146 yards and one touchdown.

Johnson also added two receptions for 22 yards including an 18-yarder.

From going undrafted to direct messaging teams in the now-defunct AAF looking for a job to the star of Thursday Night Football, Johnson’s story is one of hard work and determination. While his role in Cleveland is bound to be diminished with the return of Chubb and Hunt over the next few weeks, he established himself as a quality running back in the NFL.

Following the game, Browns head coach gave Johnson the game ball. The response of his teammates shows just how loved he is in the locker room:

As the longest season in NFL history pushes ahead, the team will benefit from seeing these kinds of successes for their teammates. The pure joy and excitement coming out of a hard-fought victory can help sustain through tough times.

Coming off a tough week with a lot of negative injury news, the Johnson breakout game came at a perfect time for the Cleveland Browns.