Week 2 at Pittsburgh Steelers
A new season but the same old Nick Chubb. He starts the season with a 100-yard game. Big surprise there. And he very well could do it again. San Francisco ran for 188 yards against Pittsburgh in Week 1, including 152 for Christian McCaffrey. Yeah, we like Nick Chubb, can you believe it?
Week 1 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
What is there to say about Nick Chubb that hasn't been said before? Chubb is arguably the best downhill running back in the NFL, he had seven 100-yard games last season and this backfield is basically his now with Kareem Hunt gone. Jerome Ford will see some work, but Chubb is as safe as they come. Expect Cleveland to ride their hot hand in Chubb in a huge divisional showdown in Week 1 as they take on Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
Fantasy Upside
What else is there to say about Nick Chubb that hasn't been said already? He's one of, if not the, best pure running backs in the NFL. He finished third in the NFL with 1,525 rushing yards and had 13 total touchdowns (12 rushing). He is the center point of the Browns offense.
Fantasy Downside
There's almost no downside to Nick Chubb in fantasy. Sure, he'll have some weeks where the numbers aren't there, but they are few and far between.
2023 Bottom Line
Chubb is one of the safest fantasy picks this year. He'll get what feels like a billion touches each week and Kareem Hunt is no longer in Cleveland, though the Browns do also like Jerome Ford. Regardless, Chubb is matchup-proof and has still been lasting to the second round in drafts. Go grab him.
Week 17 at Washington Commanders
Another solid rushing day for Nick Chubb in Week 16 -- 92 yards on 24 carries -- but he has now gone four straight games without a touchdown. It doesn't get much easier as Washington is one of the better run defenses in the league, but it's so hard to say no to Nick Chubb at this point just because of how talented he is and all the work he gets. He's due for a score and the fantasy championship is the perfect time to end that drought.
Week 16 vs. New Orleans Saints
Nick Chubb nearly had yet another 100-yard performance in a tough matchup last week against the Ravens. He is on a bit of a touchdown drought, however, with three straight games without one and four of the last five games. Chubb may end that drought this week against the second-worst rush defense in DVOA in the Saints. Regardless, Chubb is almost unbenchable at this point anyway.
Week 15 vs. Baltimore Ravens
The Bengals did something not many teams have been able to do this season, contain Nick Chubb. He was held to just 54 total yards on 17 touches. That was his lowest total yardage all season and only the second time this season he didn't reach 50 rushing yards. It doesn't get much easier this week against a stingy Ravens rush defense, a top-7 unit in DVOA. Still, Chubb's reward outweighs the risk and he does still have 60+ rushing yards in three of the five games since the bye. Chubb helped you get to the dance, might as well keep dancing with him.
Week 14 at Cincinnati Bengals
Nick Chubb did rush for 80 yards on 17 carries last week against the Texans, but that's all you got from a fantasy perspective from Chubb. No touchdowns, no catches, nothing else. The good news, too, is that his workload didn't tail off too much with the addition of Deshaun Watson. This week, he faces a Bengals team he scored two touchdowns against back in Week 8 as well as rushing for over 100 yards. Even against Cincinnati, Chubb remains a solid RB1 option. He got you this far, might as well ride out the wave.
Week 13 at Houston Texans
The 19-yard outing against the Bills in Week 11 looks like it will be an abnormal performance for Nick Chubb. He bounced back last week in the overtime win against the Buccaneers for his 6th 100-yard rushing performance and his 12th touchdown of the season. He's been matchup-proof, but especially this week against the Houston Texans. Chubb may make it 7 games with 100 yards. But it will be worth watching how the offense changes with Deshaun Watson now in the lineup.
Week 12 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Apologies for the disappointing fantasy week from Nick Chubb. Cleveland got nothing going in the run game as Chubb wound up with just 19 rushing yards. He salvaged something by catching three passes for 48 yards, so it wasn't even his worst fantasy scoring day (9.7 points in Week 11, 8 points in Week 6). It doesn't get much easier this week against the 11th-ranked DVOA rush defense and 4th-ranked overall run defense in the league in Tampa Bay. That said, one bad game from Chubb is not nearly enough to keep you from starting him ,but now we know he isn't invincible.
Week 11 vs. Buffalo Bills in Detroit
Nick Chubb faces probably his toughest matchup all season, going up against the Bills with the game now in Detroit. Even still, are you really going to sit Chubb at this point? He has played nine games this season. He has scored in seven of them. He has yet to total less than 70 yards in a game this season. Yeah, you're starting him.
