Team news: Cleveland Browns | Page 5

Kevin Stefanski is sticking with Jameis Winston as the Browns’ starting QB.

Related players: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Bailey Zappe

The Browns don't really have a better option at this point and it doesn't seem likely Thompson-Robinson is the future of the team or he probably would have been under center by now. Winston has 13 TD passes and 9 INTs in the eight games he's played. Winston can be in your fantasy QB mix in deeper leagues, and/or two QB or superflex leagues.

Browns game status for Week 14:

Myles Harden, Juan Thornhill, Jamari Thrash are all listed as questionable.

Maurice Hurst, Sam Kamara, Cedric Tillman and Jed Wills are all out.

Related Players: Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, David Njoku

Jeudy and Moore should continue to see more targets in a pass-heavy Jameis Winston-led offense. Jeudy should be considered a WR2, with Moore coming in as a low-end WR3.

Kevin Stefanski said the short turnaround to Thursday night played a role in RB Nick Chubb only playing 22 snaps against the Saints.

Related players: Jerome Ford

The Browns play the Steelers this Thursday night and the hope would be Chubb is unleashed a bit more. Chubb ran 11 times for 50 yards this past week. Ford had five carries and four catches for 29 yards in the game while Strong had two rushes. Chubb averaged 4.5 YPC, but it might be tough to trust him in a game against the Steelers. There is some hope, though, as the Ravens Derrick Henry did have a 13-65-0 line against Pittsburg this past week. Chubb owners just need to hope his snaps won't be reduced again.

Tyron Smith has been ruled out for Sunday. Davante Adams is on track to play.

Related Players: Garrett Wilson, Xavier Gipson, Malachi Corley

Adams had an illness and wrist injury pop up through the week, but it seems like he'll be good to go, which places him in WR2 range as a volume play.

Davante Adams is not practicing today, Ulbrich said. He has an illness and some wrist soreness.

Related Players: Garrett Wilson, Xavier Gipson, Malachi Corley, Tyler Conklin

Adams took 13 targets for 31 yards last week, which is definitely enough to make anyone feel ill. He now has 206 yards on 38 targets over his Jets tenure, for a cool 5.42 yards per target. He's definitely getting the volume, but should be considered a moderate WR2 if he suits up.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters after the game that Jameis Winston remains the team’s starter.

Related players: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Bailey Zappe

Winston finished the game 26-of-46 for 235 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He was also sacked six times. All three of Winston’s interceptions came in Chargers territory, the story pointed out. The Browns have DTR and Zappe waiting in the wings, but neither would bring the upside Winston brings to the offense. Unfortunately with Winston, fantasy owners will get the downside too, much like in Week 9.

The Jets are placing WR Allen Lazard on Injured Reserve because of a chest injury, sources say. Aaron Rodgers’ good friend and trusted target is out at least four games.

Related Players: Garrett Wilson, Davante Adams, Mike Williams, Malachi Corley

The long-awaited Mike Williams trade feels very unlikely to happen now, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's a fantasy target, either. Lazard is an easy drop anywhere he's dangling on the roster bubble, and we should see some heightened red-zone usage out of Wilson, Adams, and Tyler Conklin moving forward.

Browns TE David Njoku missed practice today with his ankle injury. He missed 3 games with it earlier this season.

Related Players: Cedric Tillman, Jerry Jeudy, Jordan Akins

It would be a huge bummer if Njoku were forced to miss time after putting up great back-to-back performances sans Watson at quarterback. Jordan Akins would be interesting for deep leagues in this scenario, though he only crested 9.0 half-PPR points in one game during Njoku's absence.

Browns game status for Week 8 vs. Ravens

Wyatt Teller - questionable
Jerome Ford, Ronnie Hickman, Jordan Hicks and Jedrick Wills Jr. - out

Related Players: Nick Chubb, Pierre Strong Jr.

Chubb is set to continue taking a big piece of the backfield pie here, but it's doubtful he gets to a huge workload for another week or two. Consider him an RB3 option in Week 8.

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson’s season appears to be over, but how long his recovery takes after Sunday’s Achilles injury remains to be seen.

Watson has a ruptured Achilles tendon and will undergo surgery soon, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

Related players: Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson

What’s unclear is the nature of the surgery, with Watson considering both conventional surgery and a newer “speed bridge” procedure that can result in a faster return to action. That’s the surgery Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers had last season, and he was able to resume practicing faster than most players with Achilles tears, the story went on to say. DTR took over for Watson but injured his finger, forcing Winston to come in and finish the game. X-rays were negative on the finger, according to reports. There seems to be a good chance Winston will take over as the Browns QB, however. It will be worth monitoring this situation as the week goes on.