Cleveland Browns Roster
- AFC North
- Stadium
- FirstEnergy Stadium
- Head Coach
- Kevin Stefanski
- Offensive Coordinator
- Alex Van Pelt
- Defensive Coordinator
- Joe Woods
- Special Teams Coach
- Mike Priefer
- Defensive Scheme
- 4-3
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (knee) and Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (knee) are both recovering from torn ACLs and plan to get together to rehab and train in the offseason. Barkley had surgery on his right knee on Oct. 30, while Beckham needed left knee surgery on Nov. 10. The 23-year-old Barkley will eventually take his rehab/training to the West Coast, where OBJ is stationed. The two have been close friends since Barkley was drafted by the Giants in 2018, and they remained close after Beckham was traded the following year. While Barkley and Beckham will fall in fantasy drafts in 2021 because of their injuries, they could become value picks in the early rounds if they fall far enough.
The Cleveland Browns Defense played well in a 22-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Cleveland picked up one sack and forced one turnover in the loss. The Chiefs' offense would have turned in a much better game but they lost quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a concussion early in the third quarter. Top Cleveland defender Myles Garrett played through an oblique injury to log the team's only sack of the afternoon while safety Karl Joseph picked off a Chad Henne pass in the fourth quarter. Cleveland's defense was a team weakness during the 2020 season, so expect the front office to dedicate a significant portion of their offseason resources to augmenting the unit. They could be one of the most-improved fantasy defenses heading into the 2021 campaign.
Cleveland Browns tight end Austin Hooper was overshadowed by teammate David Njoku in their team's 22-17 Divisional Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Hooper wound up catching just two of three targets for 13 yards, although one of his catches was a clutch diving grab to convert a fourth down. Many DFS gamers were eager to plug Hooper into lineups to take advantage of a plus matchup against the Chiefs, but instead it was forgotten man David Njoku who came up big. Njoku caught four of five targets for 59 yards to finish second on the Browns in receiving. Hooper was a big free-agent signing by the Browns last offseason but he wound up as a bust on his new team. He should be treated as a low-upside TE2 in fantasy for the 2021 season as Cleveland doesn't pass frequently enough to support him. Njoku has a $6 million cap hit in 2021 and spent much of the past season angling for a trade out of Cleveland. He could very well be in a different uniform in 2021.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Rashard Higgins led his team in receiving in a 22-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round. Higgins caught five of seven targets for 88 yards but he will instead be remembered for the play he didn't make. Higgins appeared on his way to a touchdown near the end of the second quarter but wound up fumbling the ball through the Kansas City end zone, resulting in the Chiefs offense getting the ball at the 20-yard line. It was a tough play as he appeared to take a helmet-to-helmet hit but all Browns fans will remember is that he didn't score what would have been the game-deciding touchdown. Higgins is now an unrestricted free-agent and could be playing for a different team next season, also Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski appeared to be a fan of Higgins during his first year at the helm. If he stays with the Browns, the return of Odell Beckham Jr. would push Higgins back to the No. 3 WR role in Cleveland.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry turned in a solid outing in a 22-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Landry finished with seven catches for 20 yards and a touchdown in the loss while his 10 targets led the team. The veteran wideout struggled to gain much yardage after the catch but he managed to score Cleveland's only passing touchdown on a four-yard catch in the third quarter where he did a nice job getting both feet down in-bounds. Landry saw his production in the passing attack dip in the first year of the Kevin Stefanski era, despite top target Odell Beckham Jr. appearing in just seven games. As a player who scored a majority of his fantasy points over the years thanks to high volume, Landry's days as a fantasy WR2 are behind him He is best treated as a flex or reserve wideout heading into the 2021 fantasy season.