Cleveland Browns running back Willis McGahee is no lock to return to the field this season, said head coach Rob Chudzinski. McGahee might have lost consciousness when he suffered a concussion in Sunday's game against the New England Patriots.
Willis McGahee might not return to action; fantasy owners can drop him
The running back might be done for the season after possibly losing consciousness in Sunday’s game. We break down the fantasy implications.
Jim Rogash
McGahee has rushed for 377 yards and two touchdowns on 138 carries this year, an average of only 2.7 yards per carry. He was signed to the roster just before the team's Week 3 game after the Browns traded starting running back Trent Richardson to Indianapolis. McGahee's backup, Chris Ogbonnaya, has 224 rushing yards and 291 receiving yards on the year, averaging 5.3 yards per carry and also scoring two touchdowns. The team has also signed Edwin Baker, who was drafted in the seventh round of the 2012 draft but has yet to appear in an NFL game. He has been with the San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Houston Texans before joining Cleveland.
Fantasy impact: McGahee had played himself well out of fantasy usability with his rough performance this year. The Browns play the Chicago Bears Sunday, which in theory shaped up as a chance at a big game, with the Bears struggling mightily against opposing running backs all season.
It seems pretty likely that, even if McGahee does return at some point this season, the chances of him playing in Week 15 are vanishingly small, and he’s not worth holding onto on the off chance he does return eventually.
Meanwhile, Ogbonnaya will likely be Cleveland’s starter against Chicago. Ogbonnaya has been moderately productive a few weeks back, but losing fumbles in consecutive games negatively impacted his playing time. With McGahee sidelined, though, and a nice matchup, Ogbonnaya could be a low-end desperation play in Week 15, especially in PPR leagues, as Ogbonnaya has caught multiple passes nine times this season.
Baker is nothing more than an insurance play for Cleveland, and the only people who have any use for him in fantasy are his parents and best friend.
