Week 4 at San Diego
Isaiah Crowell was held to 36 yards by Oakland last Sunday. After three weeks, Crowell is averaging an unimpressive 42.7 rushing yards per game. Admittedly, Cleveland was playing from behind against the Raiders and Jets and not running as much as they would like, but overall, Crowell has not been a consistent fantasy contributor. And Duke Johnson, a better receiver, will continue to siphon playing time away from Isaiah.
San Diego’s run defense has been poor, allowing 135.7 yards per game. If you believe the Browns will engage the Chargers in a competitive game and not have to deviate from their primitive ground and pound attack, Crowell could be worthy of flex consideration. Otherwise, he is too risky to rely on.
Week 5 vs Oakland
After struggling in the preseason and in Week 1 against the Jets, Isaiah Crowell stepped up last Sunday as the Browns beat Tennessee 28-14. Crowell rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, staying slightly ahead of Duke Johnson in Cleveland’s two-back attack.
Opponents are rushing for an average of 118 yards against Oakland. The Raiders have given up three rushing touchdowns. Crowell can have success in this contest, especially with Cleveland likely to be even more conservative than usual with quarterback Josh McCown coming back from a concussion. If everything breaks right, Isaiah has a shot at RB2 numbers.
Week 2 vs. Tennessee
During the preseason, Isaiah Crowell looked as feeble as petite Randy Moss trying to reach up and grab the Fruity Munch cereal from the top shelf. Some players can hit the switch once the real season starts, but Crowell continued his inept play in Week 1, rushing for 20 yards on 12 carries as the Browns were beaten up by the New York Jets.
If there are any positives with Crowell, he led the Browns in carries against the Jets and rookie Duke Johnson failed to distinguish himself. Before the Titans ran up a big lead on the Buccaneers, Tampa Bay’s Doug Martin averaged 4.7 yards against a unit that was highly susceptible to the run a year ago, yielding 137.2 yards per game. However, in the final analysis, Crowell has done very little to earn the trust of fantasy owners and is nothing more than a high-risk flex option.
Week 1 vs. New York Jets
At the start of the week, things were looking good for anyone who had taken a chance and drafted Isaiah Crowell. Cleveland dealt Terrance West to Tennessee and rookie Duke Johnson was still dealing with a concussion. It appears Crowell would have an uncontested path to being Cleveland’s main back on opening day. The bubble burst when Johnson exited the concussion protocol, however. Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine, who detests clarity, indicated Johnson could see significant playing time. Between Pettine’s ongoing antics, Crowell’s sluggish preseason and New York’s strong run defense, looking elsewhere for a flex would be advised.
In 2014, Isaiah Crowell was an undrafted free agent just hoping to make the Browns roster. Cleveland had signed Ben Tate to be their starter and drafted Terrance West to spell Tate. Crowell earned a spot on the roster and then earned a much bigger role, partly because Tate was cut but also because he showed promise. Crowell ended up leading the Browns in touchdowns with eight and rushed for 607 yards. While there were flaws in Crowell’s performance, he showed more than enough to potentially ensure a bigger role in 2015. Can this young player help fantasy owners strike it big?
Fantasy Upside
None of Cleveland’s backs had an ideal situation to work with last year thanks to a lackluster passing attack and the season-ending injury to star center Alex Mack, but Crowell at least averaged a respectable 4.1 yards per carry. With Mack back in action, the line play should be vastly improved. Crowell showed more upside than West overall and flashed the ability to be the primary runner for the Browns, who want to have a run-dominated attack. And Crowell does not need a ton of carries to help fantasy owners. In a game against Atlanta, Isaiah had just 12 carries, but scored two touchdowns.
Fantasy Downside
Crowell’s training camp and preseason fight song was significantly out of tune. Duke Johnson, Cleveland’s third-round draft pick, who was expected to play a lot in passing situations and potentially challenge Crowell and West for early down work, missed almost all of the preseason due to injury. Crowell had a great opportunity to fully establish himself as Cleveland’s main back and played poorly, averaging 2.8 yards per carry. Furthermore, Isaiah drew the ire of running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery for not being hungry enough and not doing the little things needed to succeed. In the past, Browns head coach Mike Pettine has expressed displeasure with Crowell’s preparation habits. Opponents have little reason to worry about quarterback Josh McCown, and Cleveland’s ordinary wide receivers, making their runners prime targets and ensuring a below-average fantasy situation.
Bottom Line
If the Browns truly believed in Crowell, they would not have drafted Johnson and would have reduced West’s involvement. In Cleveland’s third preseason game, West had almost as many carries as Crowell. Between Pettine being prone to making up his running back rotation on the fly and Isaiah’s inconsistency, Crowell will not offer much stability in the Brown's dysfunctional offense. If you want to draft him, you need to view him as nothing more than an occasional starter.
Week 17 – Isaiah Crowell at Baltimore Ravens
With Terrance West earning the ire of head coach Mike Pettine, Isaiah Crowell had lead back duties to himself last Sunday in Charlotte. Unfortunately, Crowell did not take advantage of the opportunity, rushing for 55 yards on 16 carries as Carolina beat Cleveland 17-13. Crowell will probably lead the way against the Ravens, but the Browns have proven to be very unpredictable with their running back rotation all season. Additionally, Baltimore has one of the best run defenses in the NFL, making Crowell an enormously dicey option this weekend.
Week 16 – Isaiah Crowell at Carolina Panthers
With Cincinnati decisively winning the Battle of Ohio 30-0, Isaiah Crowell was one of many Browns who had a terrible day, rushing for 17 yards on seven carries. On the surface, a matchup with the Panthers is promising for Isaiah’s outlook, as the Panthers surrender 117.5 rushing yards per game. But Carolina has been playing better defense of late and will be motivated this week due to the possible return of Cam Newton and because they still have a chance to claim the NFC South title. Crowell is nothing more than a risky flex candidate.
Week 15 – Isaiah Crowell vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Heading into Week 14, it seemed as though Isaiah Crowell finally had the Cleveland backfield largely to himself. Terrance West was in hot water for a fumble that hurt the Browns dearly in a Week 13 loss to Buffalo and Crowell seemed to have a clear path to carries. Of course, the script that appeared to be in place was modified, as West had one more carry than Crowell. Still, fantasy owners had no reason to be unhappy with Isaiah, who finished Week 14 with 54 yards and a touchdown. His upside is going to be capped because of the unpredictable nature of Cleveland’s backfield rotation, but there is no reason why Crowell can’t be a solid RB2 against a Cincinnati defense giving up 130.3 rushing yards per game.
Week 14 – Isaiah Crowell vs. Indianapolis Colts
Isaiah Crowell was unable to get anything going in Week 13. Buffalo’s defense shut him down, limiting him to 27 yards on 11 carries. Despite his off day, Crowell still had a better afternoon than tag team partner Terrance West, who lost a fumble the Bills returned for a touchdown and had another fumble reversed on replay.
Isaiah has been limited in practice this week, but by all appearances is expected to play in a fairly favorable matchup. The Colts have allowed 12 touchdowns, although four of those came in a somewhat fluky performance by New England’s Jonas Gray. Nevertheless, with quarterback Brian Hoyer struggling, it makes sense to feed Crowell as much as possible, especially since a productive running game would keep Andrew Luck off the field. Crowell can be classified as an RB2 with upside.
Week 13 – Isaiah Crowell at Buffalo Bills
It was a great homecoming in Atlanta for Isaiah Crowell last week. The Georgia native, playing his first professional game in the Peach State, tore through the Falcons for 88 yards and two touchdowns. The only negative for Crowell was that Terrance West got slightly more carries. However, there is considerable clarity in the Browns backfield now that it is just Crowell and West as opposed to that duo plus Ben Tate. Although Buffalo has a solid run defense and comes off a strong outing against the woeful New York Jets, Crowell has shown enough talent to justify fantasy owners in all formats giving him another start as an RB2.
