Week 11 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Isaiah Crowell has actually looked good the last two games. He topped his season-high from Week 8 in Week 10 by finishing with 90 yards, and also scored for the second game in a row. Not only that, but he's averaging 5.7 yards per carry through those two games as well.
That success could continue this week as he gets a favorable matchup against the Jaguars. While Jacksonville's pass defense has been lockdown, its rush defense is giving up 120 yards per game. Crowell hasn't reached those type of numbers yet this season, but he could be in for a decent day.
Crowell should be viewed as a low-end RB2 or strong flex play.
Week 10 at Detroit Lions
Isaiah Crowell had his best game of the season, by far, the last time Cleveland played. He had a season-high 64 rushing yards, scored his first touchdown of the season, and added a season-high 54 receiving yards. These were the type of games we expected regularly from Crowell, but instead, it is an extreme outlier in 2017.
He has a chance of continuing his solid play this week, coming off of a bye and into a favorable matchup against the Lions. But we can't ignore the majority of Crowell's season up to this point. He should be viewed, at best, as a low-end flex play.
Week 8 vs. Vikings (game in London)
Isaiah Crowell continued his poor season last week with 35 yards on 17 carries. He did add a season-high 36 receiving yards on 4 catches, but considering that's out of the norm for him, we don't expect that to continue. Crowell's production mostly comes from carries, and he's struggled all season.
We expect that to continue this week in a brutal matchup against the Vikings. Minnesota has allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing backs this season, making Crowell an unattractive fantasy option. He's a low-end flex play in all formats.
Week 7 vs. Tennessee Titans
Isaiah Crowell is coming off of his two best rushing performances of the season, 60 yards and 58 yards, respectively. Those aren't very impressive numbers, telling you just how poorly Crowell's season has gone. To add to the misery, he still hasn't scored a touchdown this season, either.
To make matters worse, he gets a fairly difficult matchup this week against the Titans. Tennessee is tied for 10th in lowest yards per carry allowed and the Titans have only given up two 100+ yard rushing games to backs this season. Crowell is not much more than a low-end flex play.
Week 6 at Houston Texans
Isaiah Crowell has struggled most of the season, but the bright side is he had his best game last week. Crowell finished with 60 yards on 16 carries, both season-highs. It's obviously not a good sign when your starting back's season high is only 60 yards and he has no touchdowns on the season.
Crowell's season is unlikely to turnaround this week as he draws a tough matchup against the Texans. Houston has only allowed 1 rushing score to a back all season and they have done a good job keeping backs in check most of the season.
Expect more of the same from Crowell, which will make him a low-end flex play at best.
Week 5 vs. New York Jets
Isaiah Crowell keeps disappointing this season and had his lowest yardage output last week—27 total yards. He's been awful as a rusher, carrying the ball 46 times for a mere 134 yards (2.9 yards per carry). Last season he made up for poor rushing numbers with a boost in receiving yards, but he only has 5 catches this season.
Crowell needs the Browns to take a lead to get more touches, but that hasn't happened much this season. It could happen this week, though, as the Browns get a favorable matchup against the Jets. New York has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing backs this season, which could be enough to get Crowell back on track.
It's definitely hard to trust Crowell after his stinker last week, but he might be worth trusting again this week in a good matchup. He should be viewed as a low-end RB2 or flex play.
Week 4 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
It's taken 39 carries through three games for Isaiah Crowell to reach 114 yards, which averages to less than three yards per carry. Crowell has performed much worse than we expected behind the Browns' offensive line, and he has less total yards than fellow Browns back Duke Johnson despite 26 more touches. He also has no scores on the season.
Crowell is still getting plenty of playing time and rushing attempts, so he still carries relevance in fantasy. He could rebound this week against the Bengals, as Cincy has allowed the eighth-most rushing yards per game. He's not an RB1 like we expected, but should instead be viewed more as a low-end RB2 or flex play in Week 4.
Week 3 at Indianapolis Colts
Isaiah Crowell has been surprisingly bad this season through the first two weeks. We expected him to be an RB1 behind that offensive line, but instead, he's averaging 2.6 yards per carry on 27 rushing attempts through two weeks. He also has no scores on the season so far.
He could have a bounce back performance this week, however, as he faces a soft Colts defense. He's still very much the lead back in Cleveland and should continue to get double-digit touches moving forward. He should be viewed as an RB2 this week.
Week 2 at Baltimore Ravens
Good news: Isaiah Crowell is the clear Browns starting running back. Bad news: he was awful in Week 1 on the ground. He carried the ball 17 times and finished with just 33 yards. He also added an additional 33 yards as a receiver on 2 catches. That adds up to only 66 yards on 19 touches.
Crowell has a difficult matchup this week against the Ravens, as Baltimore didn't allow too many big plays last week against the Bengals. There's reason to hope for Crowell to bounce back, but his value has taken a hit after his Week 1 performance. He should be viewed as an RB2 or flex play in Week 2.
Week 1 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Isaiah Crowell finished with 1,271 scrimmage yards last season, despite the constant woes in Cleveland. He'll play behind an even better offensive line this season and could end up being a really valuable rusher in the league.
He gets a favorable matchup against the Steelers in Week 1, a team he took advantage of in Week 17 last season. Crowell finished that game with 152 yards on 19 carries, adding 16 yards on 3 receptions as well.
Crowell isn't an elite starter, but he'll be a solid RB2 play against Pittsburgh.
