Browns Fantasy News
Browns sign RB Kareem Hunt to one-year "prove it" deal
Monday, February 11, 2019, 2:13pm
The Cleveland Browns signed troubled running back Kareem Hunt on Monday.
The Kansas City Chiefs released Hunt in December after a video surfaced that showed him shoving and kicking a woman last February at his residence in Cleveland.
Related players: Nick Chubb, Duke Johnson
Hunt joins an already talented backfield featuring Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson. Chubb was shaping up to be a top 10 pick at his position, though Hunt's arrival throws some cold water on Chubb's upside. Johnson was already being underutilized and speculation has already begun that the team may look to move him. At this point, we're assuming that Hunt will compete with Johnson for backup duties behind Chubb. Keep in mind that the NFL has yet to announce Hunt's suspension, so that will play a factor as well.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley, Browns QB Baker Mayfield honored by PFWA
Tuesday, January 15, 2019, 6:31pm
Awards season has begun for Saquon Barkley, and he's picked up his first honor.
The Giants' sensational running back has been named Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association. Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was voted Rookie of the Year by the PFWA, likely signaling more split votes coming for the players who were selected 1-2 in the NFL Draft back in April.
It could be just the beginning of the awards for Barkley, who led the NFL with 2,028 scrimmage yards and joined Eric Dickerson and Edgerin James as the only rookies with at least 2,000 scrimmage yards. Barkley and Mayfield are also finalists for the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year – voted on by the fans – and remain the favorites to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award given out by the league on the eve of Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta next month during its NFL Honors program.
Brown to name Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator
Sunday, January 13, 2019, 9:14pm
The Browns are expected to hire former Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks as their new defensive coordinator, sources say.
They are close on a deal and it should be done Monday. It's a big hire for new coach Freddie Kitchens, Rapoport said. Wilks struggled with the Cards as the HC, but his defense in Carolina was solid before taking the Arizona job last year.
Browns hire Todd Monken as offensive coordinator
Sunday, January 13, 2019, 8:16pm
Browns are hiring former Buccaneers’ OC Todd Monken as their OC, per league source.
Monken called the plays for the Bucs for all but one game (Week 10's 16-3 loss to the Washington Redskins), and the Bucs averaged 315 passing yards, 95 rushing yards and 26.2 points per game while he was calling plays. However, new head coach Freddie Kitchens will probably retain play-calling duties in Cleveland after a successful run as the team's play-caller in the second half of the season. Monken should be a good sounding board for Kitchens and QB Baker Mayfield.
Bears hire Chuck Pagano to run the defense
Friday, January 11, 2019, 9:36pm
The Bears needed just two days to find their replacement after defensive coordinator Vic Fangio left to coach the Broncos.
Coach Matt Nagy announced Friday night he hired former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano to step into the team’s top defensive role. Pagano has 16 years of NFL coaching experience, most recently as the Colts coach from 2012-17.
Pagano, 58, was the Ravens defensive coordinator in 2011, when they went 12-4 and ranked third in total defense, third in points allowed, second against the run, fourth against the pass and third in sacks. Before that he served as defensive backs coach for the Ravens, Raiders and Browns.
As the story mentions, Pagano guided the Ravens to the No. 3 overall finish in 2011 before jetting to Indianapolis to take over the Colts. There, his defenses finished higher than No. 20 just once (in 2014) in six seasons. Otherwise, the defense was a perennial problem. Given all the talent on that side of the ball, the Bears should be fine defensively.
Vikings make Kevin Stefanski full-time OC
Wednesday, January 9, 2019, 2:36pm
After missing out on the Cleveland Browns' head coaching job, Kevin Stefanski will return to Minnesota.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Stefanski is expected to return as the Vikings' full-time offensive coordinator, per a source informed of the situation.
Stefanski took over in Minnesota with three games left in the 2018 season after the Vikings jettisoned OC John DeFilippo. The Vikes offense got back to the ground game in the first two outings of the 36-year-old's play-calling career, compiling 320 rushing yards in back-to-back victories.
The Vikings offense, however, struggled brutally in the must-win season finale, compiling just 164 total yards in a loss to the Bears that dashed Minnesota's playoff plans.
Returning as full-time offensive coordinator, Stefanski will be tasked with unleashing an offense that vastly underperformed expectations in 2018. Despite a star running back in Dalvin Cook, two 1,000-plus-yard receivers in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, and an $84 million quarterback in Kirk Cousins, the Vikings were an inconsistent mess this season. If the Vikings can't finally figure out their offensive line issues in 2019, it likely won't matter who is calling plays.
After firing DeFilippo, HC Mike Zimmer demanded that Stefanski establish the run game. Under DeFilippo, the Vikings averaged 40.3 pass attempts and just 21.1 rush attempts, a 65.7% pass rate. In three games under Stefanski, Minnesota averaged 27.3 pass attempts and 27.7 rush attempts for a 49.7% pass rate. The team's offensive pace slowed from 61.4 plays per game under DeFilippo to 55.0 plays per game under Stefanski. Kirk Cousins and the passing game suffered in the final three games, as his fantasy PPG dropped from 17.6 PPG to 15.8 PPG. Meanwhile, Dalvin Cook's usage spiked--he averaged 14.9 touches per game under DeFilippo and 18.0 touches per game with Stefanski calling the plays. His PPG (PPR) was 17.7 over the final three games after averaging 12.9 PPG in eight games under DeFilippo. Adam Thielen's averages (21.8 vs. 8.0) took a major hit while Stefon Diggs' production (18.4 vs. 14.5) also dipped. Keep in mind that one of the three games was at home against the Bears, who own the top defense in the league. Still, the Stefanski full-time hire looks to be good for Cook and bad for Cousins, Thielen and Diggs.
Browns promote OC Freddie Kitchens as next head coach
Wednesday, January 9, 2019, 1:58pm
The Cleveland Browns will hire Freddie Kitchens on Wednesday to be the 18th head coach in team history, sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen.
Kitchens served as the Browns' interim offensive coordinator for the final eight games of the 2018 season. That work and his relationship with and development of quarterback Baker Mayfield were keys to his promotion.
The Browns did not want to lose Kitchens and denied him permission to talk to other teams about offensive coordinator openings during the interview process.
Interim coach and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was relieved of his duties and is no longer with the team.
Kitchens called plays for the Browns starting in Week 9 and it certainly appears that he had a positive impact on QB Baker Mayfield. In Mayfield's first five-plus games, he completed 58.3% of his passes for a 6.60 YPA and a 3.6% touchdown rate. In nine games with Kitchens calling plays, Mayfield completed 68.4% of his passes for an 8.57 YPA and a 7.2% touchdown rate. Mayfield was the No. 10 fantasy quarterback (19.0 PPG) in that span, so retaining Kitchens as the Browns' play-caller should result in continued growth for Mayfield in 2019.
Sunday, December 30, 2018, 3:37pm
Browns Inactives
Carl Davis DT
Desmond Harrison OT
Blake Jackson WR
Kyle Kalis OG
Drew Stanton QB
Chad Thomas DE
Denzel Ward CB
Ravens Inactives
Javorius Allen RB
Robert Griffin QB
Jordan Lasley WR
Alex Lewis OG
Patrick Ricard FB
Zach Sieler DE
Tim Williams LB
Friday, December 28, 2018, 6:29pm
Browns TE David Njoku (knee) took full practice reps again Friday.
Friday, December 21, 2018, 6:10pm
Browns TE David Njoku (knee, thigh) took full practice reps again Friday. He was removed from the injury report so he’s good to go.
Friday, December 21, 2018, 6:10pm
Bengals RB Joe Mixon (wrist, thigh) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week. Mixon will be fine to face the Browns, who have given up an average of 126 yards and 1.3 rush touchdowns per game.
Friday, December 21, 2018, 6:10pm
Eagles QB Carson Wentz (back, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 16. Nick Foles will start again this week. He put up a measly 9.3 fantasy points last week against the Rams, but he returns home to face a Texans defense that is tough to run on but vulnerable against the pass, yielding 253/2 to Sam Darnold, 399/2 to Andrew Luck, 397/1 to Baker Mayfield and 303/2 to Marcus Mariota in recent weeks.
Bengals WR Tyler Boyd OUT for Week 16
Friday, December 21, 2018, 1:31pm
The Bengals have ruled out Tyler Boyd (knee) for Week 16's game against the Browns.
John Ross is the only receiver left for the Bengals that you've even heard of. Between Jeff Driskel being under center and Ross' own struggles, we can't imagine that makes him anything more than a desperation flex play.
Thursday, December 20, 2018, 7:15pm
Browns TE David Njoku (knee, thigh) took full practice reps Thursday after being limited Wednesday. Njoku continues to play through his injuries, but we’re getting to the point in the season where teams may shut down certain players who aren’t healthy. Stay tuned.
Thursday, December 20, 2018, 7:15pm
Bengals RB Joe Mixon (wrist, thigh) took limited practice reps again Thursday. Mixon should be fine to face the Browns, who have given up an average of 126 yards and 1.3 rush touchdowns per game.
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