Five Biggest Questions
1. How should we assess the QB situation?
2. Will Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt be weekly starters?
3. Will Amari Cooper be a top-20 WR?
4. Can David Bell or Donovan Peoples-Jones become streamers?
5. Is David Njoku a must-draft TE?
Write-up that have more to do with life than football are the hardest to write. What can be said--or what *should* be said--about Deshaun Watson that hasn't already been said thousands of times? For fantasy purposes, we have to understand the impact of likely scenarios. This could go in a dozen or more directions. For example, he could be suspended for x weeks, or for the whole season, or he could be banned from the league. He could be suspended for x weeks, and then 10 more women come forward, compelling the league to weigh additional sanctions. At any time, the Browns might sever the contract at minimal expense due to the revelation of new potential crimes. The team might also trade Baker Mayfield if they think the issue is resolved and Watson is playing. And if Watson's legal troubles are only beginning, the Browns might sign another QB to back up or replace Jacoby Brissett.
The list goes on. It's a maddening situation, and there's a record amount of "guaranteed" money at stake. This could get increasingly chaotic, or it could draw to a quick close. This is what we know, and this is why there's so much we can't know.
The most likely scenario, I believe, is that the Browns will be a partially broken team when this is all over. Head coach Kevin Stefanski coached this team to an exceptional 11-5 record in 2020. Last year was an utter failure for too many reasons, not all of which were avoidable, but which added up to an 8-9 season. This year could be much worse. As bullish as I was about Nick Chubb last season (and yes, he fell short of my lofty expectations), he remains a bright spot in an offense that should lean on their running game more than ever. In fact, last year this backfield was on a record-setting yardage pace. The formidable one-two punch of Chubb and Kareem Hunt could return. Much depends on what this team looks like in August.
Can Amari Cooper thrive as the clear No. 1 again? If Watson's under center, sure, that's the plan. And if Brissett's under center, it would be hard to envision Cooper finishing in the top 35. Again, chaos. You all know I'll put my thumb on anything if I think I can back it up. But there's nothing to back up here. Cooper is an exceptional and historically inconsistent receiver joining a team that was built for the playoffs, but which just as easily could finish 5-12. Meanwhile, Donovan Peoples-Jones and rookie David Bell might cancel each other out in an offense that can't feed three wideouts. If you're drafting either one, you're hoping for top-40 production if things break perfectly. There are more interesting upside plays on other teams.
And actually, David Njoku is pretty intriguing now that Austin Hooper's in Tennessee. We can't forget that Njoku was the overall TE9 in 2018 while playing a career-high 80% of the Browns' offensive snaps. He was No. 2 on the team in targets. They signed him to a nearly $55 million deal ($28 million guaranteed). Surely they plan to use him, and not just as a blocker. If anyone in Cleveland is a bargain, it's Njoku at his seemingly ridiculous TE19 ADP.