Tag: Kareem Hunt

Is Cleveland imploding and other questions for Browns Wire in Week 16

The Baltimore Ravens get a chance for a little revenge in Week 16. They’ll take on the Cleveland Browns, the last team to beat them this season (back in Week 4). Not only can Baltimore right a wrong, but they can also clinch the No. 1 seed this …

The Baltimore Ravens get a chance for a little revenge in Week 16. They’ll take on the Cleveland Browns, the last team to beat them this season (back in Week 4). Not only can Baltimore right a wrong, but they can also clinch the No. 1 seed this week.

With such an important game and one against a division rival currently in flux, I wanted to get some insider information on what’s going on. So I turned to Browns Wire managing editor Jeff Risdon to get the scoop on what Cleveland has going on this season and what they could be looking at this offseason.

1) Cleveland has been arguably the most inconsistent team in the NFL this season on both sides of the ball. Why is that?

It’s patently unfair to pin everything on Freddie Kitchens, but the rookie head coach has his tentacles in every level of the Browns’ failures in 2019. The team has the NFL’s best running back in Nick Chubb but Kitchens will go several series without using him. They have Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. but throw more designed passes in the red zone to Demetrius Harris. They’re a poorly coached team far too often.

Defensively, injuries and the Myles Garrett suspension have definitely been factors. They played one week with just four of their Week 1 starters on the field and will be missing at least three this Sunday. The entire pass rush was built around Garrett and with him and Olivier Vernon gone, it’s fallen to pieces.

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Fantasy football: 5 sleepers to start, 5 starters to sit in Week 15

Five starters to sit and five sleepers to start in fantasy football Week 15.

It’s crunch time in fantasy football.

A little scouting and you can avoid a crucial late-season loss or do just enough to cross the finish line with a win this week in the playoffs. We’ve got you covered with a quick scouting report to help you out.

Here are five sleepers to start and five starters you’ve got to sit in fantasy football Week 15:

Starts
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

QB Jimmy Garoppolo

49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is fresh off the best game of his career when his team edged out the Saints 48-46 on the road. Garoppolo had 349 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. The Saints defense over the years has been terrible, but this year they’ve been average. En route next for the 49ers is the Falcons, who’ve been a bottom-feeder defensive team all season. That, and the 49ers have home-field advantage this time around.

RB Kareem Hunt

In PPR leagues, Kareem Hunt is a solid starter as the Browns face the Cardinals this week. This meeting pins two poor defensive units up against each other and Hunt has shown production over the past few games, even with Nick Chubb, scoring a touchdown in three-straight. This game could even turn into a shootout.

RB James White

Like Hunt, James White will be more productive in PPR leagues but he still has value, regardless. The Patriots have the lowly Bengals en route. Cincy is bad all-around, but particularly bad against opposing running backs, who grab an average of 45 yards in receiving against the Bengals. While White does most of his damage in the air, the Bengals also sport the NFL’s worst run defense heading into this one as well.

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Six Points with David Dorey: Week 14

Six things to think about heading into Week 14.

(Jeff Hanisch, USA TODAY Sports)

The NFL playoffs are starting to come into focus and regardless of any protests, the NFC East will be allowed to advance a team. It’s money time right now in the NFL and in fantasy football. Here are a few thoughts on a Friday.

Jesper Horsted – The Bears are running through tight ends with Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen both on injured reserve, and Ben Braunecker out with a concussion. That gave both Horster and J.P. Holtz a chance to show what they could do. Holtz led the Bears with 56 yards on three catches while Horsted offered four receptions for 36 yards. Horsted caught one pass last week which was an 18-yard touchdown in Detroit. Holtz only had two career catches coming into last night. Both were undrafted players called up from the practice squad. Their success was more of a function of the Cowboys’ poor play worsened when LB Leighton Vander Esch missed the game. That could mean good things for the Rams this week.

Eli Manning – Daniel Jones is out with an ankle injury though some speculate that it is an attempt to allow Manning to have a Goodbye Tour. They probably owe him that. And Week 14 provides a chance to play the Eagles weak secondary that ranks No. 29 versus wideouts. Plus Golden Tate should be cleared from his concussion and Evan Engram is trending towards playing. He’d have a full complement of receivers which Jones has rarely had. If he can hang around until the end, that matches him against the Dolphins and Redskins. For a future HOF’er, that would be a nice way to end. Might even be worth a fantasy start.

Dalvin Cook – He’s had a tremendous third-year and finally remained healthy. Well, until recently. Cook injured his chest back in Week 11 against the Broncos and this was a re-aggravation. He says that he’ll play this week though it could still be painful and could become further aggravated. Fantasy playoffs are on in many leagues and seedings are being finalized in all others. But Cook is going to be risky despite playing against the No. 31 defense versus running backs. Cook already ran for 142 yards and two scores on them in Week 7. Alexander Mattison is too risky to start, but Cook could potentially leave the game early if he hurts or the Vikes have the game in hand. No matter what, Cook has to be healthy for Week 16 versus the Packers.

John Ross – He left after Week 4 with a broken clavicle but he’ll be activated this week and return to face the Browns. He’ll likely be on a pitch count and Week 15 faces the Patriots but at least Week 16 in Miami. Ross started the season with two 100-yard games and three touchdowns in the first two games including 112 yards and a score versus the 49ers in Week 2. He’ll be worth watching since the offense desperately needs help and he’ll dig into Auden Tate’s workload if not replace him again.

Kareem Hunt – Since he returned in Week 10, he’s been the No. 11 running back over the last four weeks. And he’s not even the starter. His role has been fairly consistent with around seven carries and five receptions per game and he averages about 60 total yards per game. His production hasn’t changed Nick Chubb’s workload at all, he’s just given Baker Mayfield an extra pass target. Hunt is a free agent at the end of the year, so this is all just to impress his next employer.

Best Wide Receivers over the last month – There is much movement with wide receivers as the season starts to close and this is worth knowing if only to see who maintains their value and who might have more value next year. These are the PPR fantasy points from Weeks 10 to Week 13.

D.J. Moore, Deebo Samuel, and even Cole Beasley stand out over the past month. It’s also interesting that while Odell Beckham hasn’t gotten on the same page with Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry hasn’t had any problem.

Fantasy football: 5 sleepers to start, 5 starters to sit in Week 14

Fantasy football Sleepers, sits, starts, ahead of Week 14.

It’s crunch time in fantasy football.

A little scouting and you can avoid a crucial late-season loss or do just enough to cross the finish line with a win this week. We’ve got you covered with a quick scouting report to help you out.

Here are five sleepers to start and five starters you’ve got to sit in fantasy football Week 14:

Starts
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

QB Tom Brady

Things aren’t going well for the Patriots. Correction: Things aren’t going well for the Patriots offense. Their defense had led them to their 10-2 record. But this could be a good game to have faith in Tom Brady. The Chiefs have an offense that could put up some points even against a stout defense such as New England’s, plus Brady played well against the Kansas City defense twice last season. He had 340 yards and two scores in that game, which was also a home game for him.

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Browns vs. Dolphins: Week 12 game news and notes

Browns vs. Dolphins: Week 12 game news and notes

The Cleveland Browns went into their matchup with the Miami Dolphins expecting to win and they won. There is something to be said for a team being able to take care of business when they are supposed to win, the Denver Broncos notwithstanding. The Browns were able to dominate early. In the first half of the game, the Browns were able to gain long chunk plays and score easily.

Offense

QB, Baker Mayfield, 24-34-327-3-1

RB, Nick Chubb, rushing 21-106-1, receiving 3-58-0 (4 targets)

RB, Kareem Hunt, rushing 8-37-1, receiving 2-9-0 (3 targets)

WR, Jarvis Landry, 10-148-2 (13 targets)

WR, Odell Beckham, 6-84-1 (8 targets)

TE, Demetrius Harris, 2-20-0 (2 targets)

It was nice to see Kareem Hunt score a touchdown and for the Browns to give plenty of opportunities to both running backs. The story of the game should be the continued progression of Baker Mayfield. Since the bye week, Mayfield has looked sharper with his decisions and his ability to get the ball out on time. His lone interception of the day came on a target to Odell Beckham.

Beckham was running a slant over the middle and Mayfield threw the ball behind Beckham. Beckham’s forward momentum was carrying him away from the ball and created an almost impossible catch. Mayfield almost had a second interception on the afternoon on a target to Demetrius Harris. Mayfield put a little too much juice on the pass and it went through the hands of Harris hitting him in the helmet. Fortunately, there was a Miami penalty on the play and the interception was erased.

There will undoubtedly be talk about how good Jarvis Landry is looking and how he is the best wide receiver on the team. While I agree he has the best production, the more appropriate line of thinking is that both Beckham and Landry are playing well off each other. Both wide receivers are exceptional at what they do, and Beckham is drawing attention from Landry the same way Landry draws attention from Beckham.

Defensive Notes

There are two main storylines to pay attention to on the defense. One is how well Joe Schobert has been playing recently. In Week 12, Schobert was able to add another 10 tackles and 2 interceptions to his amazing run in 2019. The second storyline to watch is the progression of Greedy Williams. Again, in Week 12, opposing offenses were singling him out in coverage. DeVante Parker, as a bigger-bodied receiver, was able to be more physical than Williams and push him around at the line of scrimmage.

Remembering to Week 11 against the Steelers, Mason Rudolph and Co. were also targeting Williams frequently and caused crucial pass interference penalties. Fortunately for the Browns, there were a couple flags not thrown on obvious pass interference.

Penalties (9 penalties, 7 accepted penalties)

Wyatt Teller – 5-yards (ineligible downfield pass)

Wyatt Teller – 10-yards (holding)

Jarvis Landry – Penalty Declined (illegal shirt)

J.C. Tretter – 10-yards (holding)

Mack Wilson – 15-yards (unnecessary roughness)

Greg Robinson – Penalty Declined (ineligible downfield pass)

Greedy Williams – 15-yards (defensive pass interference)

Bryan Cox – 10-yards (illegal block above the waste)

Greedy Williams – 5-yards (illegal use of hands)

Final Thoughts

Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins came at a perfect time for the Browns. They had an opportunity to play a team with significantly less talent, learn to create pressure without Myles Garrett, and develop chemistry on the offensive side of the ball. The pass rush still leaves a lot of questions on the table, but I don’t believe the Browns were putting their defensive game plan for creating pressure on film against the Dolphins.

Overall, there are plenty of positives to take away from Week 12 against the Dolphins. It will be important for the Browns to keep their composure and remember the lessons of this game as they move on to the Steelers.

Final Score: 24-41 (Cleveland Browns Victory)

Time of Possession: 36:06 (+12:12)

Record: 5-6 (third in the AFC North)

Current Draft Position: 15 (information via Tankathon)

Next Opponent: at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5)

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Highlight: Kareem Hunt scores his 1st TD for the Browns

Highlight: Kareem Hunt scores his 1st TD for the Browns to put Cleveland up 28-0

Kareem Hunt has scored his first touchdown as a member of the Cleveland Browns. The hometown running back raced in around right end from the Miami 6-yard line to push the Browns up over the Dolphins, 28-0 after the conversion.

Hunt scored on his fifth carry of the game. It’s his third game with the Browns since he returned from his 8-game suspension, and all of the games have been at home.

The Browns blocked this one well, but Hunt’s acceleration after opting to bounce the run outside is what leads to the touchdown.

Nick Chubb sees ‘the sky’s the limit’ for he and Kareem Hunt together

Chubb has 47 carries for 208 yards in the two games with Hunt back in the lineup

Nick Chubb is typically a man of few words. The Browns running back isn’t one to give juicy quips or soundbites, unlike several of his more celebrated teammates in Cleveland.

So when he speaks confidently about what he’s seeing or thinking, it’s worth paying attention. And Chubb is feeling really good about how he and Kareem Hunt are working together in the Browns backfield.

“Yeah, I think so. We are just getting started like you said. The sky is the limit with what we can do with us in the backfield and us on the field at the same time. I just look forward to each week going out there and playing with another great player.”

Chubb has 47 carries for 208 yards in the two games with Hunt back in the lineup. Hunt has just 10 carries for 42 yards but has made a huge mark as a receiver, catching 13 passes for 90 yards. He’s also proven a very adept blocker, both for Chubb and in pass protection.

They are still sorting out the exact workload, but Chubb likes what he’s seen so far.

“We have only played two games with it so I am not sure,” Chubb said this week. “I know Pittsburgh definitely schemed for it and did some good things against it, but as far as we know, we want to keep playing.”

Six Points with David Dorey: Week 11

Six interesting items to consider for Week 11.

Steven Flynn-USA TODAY Sports

The Thursday night game was another ho-hum affair with no individual posting many fantasy points. And then came the final eight seconds.

DE Myles Garrett – The final play for the Steelers erupted into a surreal skirmish between numerous players. Mason Rudolph took exception when he was slammed to the ground on a meaningless final play and apparently tried to yank on Garrett’s helmet (maybe his hand was stuck). Football is a violent game and emotions can get out of hand. But Garrett ripped off Mason’s helmet and conked him on the head with it. Kudos to Mason having a hard noggin since I’m confident I’d still be laid out on the field if I got hit like that.

It did not just cross a line. It sprinted past and into an area that could be argued as a pure criminal assault. Garrett, C Maurkice Pouncey, and DT Larry Ogunjobu were all ejected with six seconds left to play. They will all be fined and further suspended. If Garrett plays this year, it would be a very bad PR move for the NFL. The best message to send is for him to be indefinitely suspended which would mean this year and then he’d be re-evaluated.

RB Kareem Hunt – Two weeks from returning from suspension, his role is now certain. Hunt is not just a third-down back, he’s one of the busier ones in the NFL. After his two games, he’s totaled 13 receptions for 90 yards while adding four to six rushes. Over 16 games, that would be a pace to end with 104 catches for 720 yards. But he’s killed off Nick Chubb’s role as a receiver. Last night, Chubb had no catches and he only turned in two in the previous week. Chubb scored a touchdown in only three of ten games, so those lost reception points have an impact on his fantasy value.

Notable too is that Antonio Callaway was released yesterday due to yet another substance-abuse violation, and his replacement Rashard Higgins never had a target. And in the last two games, the tight ends accounted for only three catches in total. The Browns are now Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, and Hunt when they pass. The trio accounted for 30 of the 33 passes thrown.

TE Ross Dwelley – George Kittle hasn’t practiced this week because of his knee and is looking like a likely scratch. That makes the second-year undrafted Dwelly an interesting start on Sunday. His career-best game was in Week 9 at the Cardinals when he caught four passes for 29 yards.  Kittle caught six passes for 79 yards and one score in that game so for the position, they combined for ten catches on 12 targets for 108 yards and one score. That was against the No. 32 defense versus tight ends – the Cardinals. The same team that they will face again on Sunday, at home without Kittle.

RB Brian Hill – Devonta Freeman hasn’t practiced this week because of his foot injury and is expected to not play. The Falcons paced Ito Smith on injured reserve last week so suddenly the 6-1, 219-pound fifth-round pick of 2017 becomes the Falcons starter this week and possibly next. He only totaled 31 carries for 194 yards (6.3 YPC) over his first two years. Hill never had more than eight carries in any game until last week when he turned in 20 rushes for 61 yards at the Saints (No. 4 defense vs. running backs). He’ll go against the Panthers No. 27 defense this week. Freeman is only 5-8, 206 pounds and Smith is 5-9, 195 pounds. Hill gets to be a rare “big back” for the Falcons facing one of the worst rush defenses this week.

Rookie Running Backs – We studied them, argued about them, pushed them onto our sleeper lists and eventually drafted them. How have they done so far?

Josh Jacobs and David Montgomery rate as fantasy starters and Miles Sanders and Devin Singletary are close but have lacked every-week consistency. Lile most years, the first back drafted is usually a top-ten producer. Nothing after the third round has mattered much and that too mirrors past seasons. Rookie running backs lag the last couple of years but remember that Jacobs was the only first-rounder and Sanders was the only second-rounder. Darrell Henderson has been a whiff by the Rams but otherwise, four of the top five were drafted in the first five. Not many deeply drafted surprises.

Rookie Wide Receivers – I’ve always said that if you never pick a rookie wideout, you’d be making a smart move about 95% of the time. Of course, I always draft them hoping for that “5%” guy and then quietly swapping them for some other scrub with better potential on the waiver wire.

Ironically, the best rookie wideout wasn’t even drafted. But Preston Williams landed on injured reserve after eight games. None of these wideouts have been very consistent and D.K. Metcalf recently ascended to the top with three touchdowns in the last two games.  Both Terry McLaurin and Marquise Brown had hot starts to the season but cooled down. I know next season, I will draft more rookie wideouts after they are hyped all summer. And I will regret it 95% of the time.

Week 11 Fantasy Preview: Browns vs Steelers

Week 11 Fantasy Preview: Browns vs Steelers

How should fantasy football players handle the Thursday Night Football matchup between the Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers? Is Kareem Hunt worth starting? What about Baker Mayfield or Mason Rudolph?

The Matchup

Since the acquisition of Minkah Fitzpatrick, safety, the Steelers defense has been why the Steelers have won games. The defensive unit been opportunistic and applies pressure on opposing defenses from all levels of the field. Additionally, the defense has not allowed the sins of their offense to penalize the team on their four-game winning streak. Especially when the offense has gone three consecutive weeks turning the ball over on their opening drive.

While the defense has been great, I will ask this question of everyone reading this: “who have the Steelers played!?”

In Week 10 the Steelers played the broken down L.A. Rams coming to the east coach. Week 9 saw the Steelers knock Jacoby Brissett out early and go against Brian Hoyer for the majority of the game. The Week 8 Miami Dolphins put up a fight for the first half and then completely lost offensive momentum to sustain a lead. Finally, the Week 6 Chargers were led by Phillip Rivers’ strong two-interception game and Melvin Gordon trying to knock off the rust from a lengthy holdout.

What about the opposing weapons? They have to be better against this new age “Steel Curtain”, right? The media is clamoring about how great the Steelers defense is. They must have shut down amazing levels of talent on the opposing side of the field. In Week 10 the Steelers did a great job shutting down Cooper Kupp for the first time all season. The Rams also didn’t have Brandin Cooks and have dealt with significant injuries to their offensive line recently.

The Colts have been putting a band-aid on their pass-catchers with TY Hilton out. Their keynote wide receiver has been Zach Pascal. The Miami Dolphins were running out the dynamic combination of Preston Williams and DeVante Parker. I bet this defensive secondary would do great against the wide receivers in the Washington Redskins or the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This should not be a shock to anyone after reading the above information. The Browns may be the best offense the Steelers have faced since their Week 5 opponent, the Baltimore Ravens.

Baker Mayfield

The Steelers have on average allowed 216 passing yards and 1.7 passing touchdowns over their last three games, which includes a zero touchdown game from Jared Goff. While this is a small sample size, I think Jared Goff’s meltdown can really make their defense look better than it really is. Baker Mayfield should be considered a top-15 quarterback in a decent matchup at home.

Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt

I am lumping these two together because there are still a lot of questions about total opportunity splits between these two. Week 10 saw Kareem Hunt earn 13 opportunities to touch the ball (9 targets and 4 rushes) and Nick Chubb saw 24 opportunities (20 rushes and 4 targets). It is still too early to say if those numbers will shift dependent on game script or hot hand. I would be willing to consider both FIRMLY in the top-24 conversation and Hunt would also be a great FLEX play.

Odell Beckham Jr.

In Week 10 Beckham earned his highest number of targets of the season and his first double-digit target game since Week 6 against the Seahawks. Additionally, the voluminous target share came in a negative matchup against one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. In Week 11, OBJ draws former Browns cornerback Joe Hayden. This may be the softest cornerback matchup OBJ has seen since Week 6 against the Seahawks when he erupted for his first 100-yard game of the season. This Week 11 matchup has the makings of a breakout game for Odell Beckham Jr. He should be considered a top-5 option on the week.

Jarvis Landry

There is no doubt Jarvis Landry is the best wide receiver on the Cleveland Browns right now. He is a leader with his game play and how he works on the sideline. For fantasy teams, Jarvis Landry is a steady WR2. He will get you exactly what you were hoping for from the position and show up every week. I would have no worries about getting him into your lineup.

Biggest question

I don’t know if Antonio Callaway is out of the doghouse or if Rashard Higgins will be given his opportunity to play more. I would love to see Higgins on the field because of his undeniable connection with Baker Mayfield and his route running ability. I would not trust either one in my lineup.

Update: Callaway has been cut. 

5 big plays from the Browns’ Week 10 win vs. Buffalo

Not everything was positive but there were some great highlights too

What moments stood out from the Browns’ big 19-16 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 10?

Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt usage

Both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt were used on over 50% of the Cleveland Browns offensive snaps in Week 10 against the Bills. In this play, not only are both runners on the field, but Kareem Hunt delivers a block to help establish Nick Chubb’s cut back lane for a great run.

Jarvis Landry great catch for a touchdown

Landry has been the best and most reliable wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns in 2019. On this play, Landry makes a great hands catch extending his arms away from his body. After the play, Landry was called for a taunting penalty and Austin Seibert ultimately missed the field goal. This was a great play and also a reminder to not let yourself get caught up in the heat of the moment.

Rashard Higgins game-winning touchdown

Browns fans have been rooting for Higgins to get more playing time and he did. Higgins finished Week 10 with 47% of the offensive snaps. While this was a great catch and I enjoyed seeing Higgins on the field, I also wonder if he would have been on the field if Antonio Callaway wouldn’t have been benched (click here for the full story). I will be watching closely to see if Higgins’ usage continues to trend up or if Callaway returns to the field and supplants Higgins.

Baker Mayfield safety

One of my biggest concerns with Baker Mayfield is his ability to get the ball out on time and this play perfectly outlines why. While the play design is horrible and there should have been a runner in the backfield with pass protection duties, it is also on the quarterback to deliver the ball when his back foot hits on the three-step drop. Mayfield double clutches and tries to scan the field for another option. If the ball was thrown on time, it could have been thrown away. Instead, Mayfield tries to make “the big play” and takes a safety.

Incredible Jarvis Landry catch to set up the game-winning score

As mentioned earlier, Landry has been the best wide receiver for the Browns in 2019. This play shows not only great concentration, but also his ability to adjust to the ball in the air. While we shouldn’t dwell on Odell Beckham uncovering himself in the deep middle or Kareem Hunt being wide open on the right side of the field, the catch was great and set up the game-winning touchdown to Rashard Higgins.