The Week 11 matchup between the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns features teams in two different places. The Texans are looking to stay alive in the AFC South, and the Browns currently lead the AFC North. We've got the fantasy projections for you courtesy of numberFire.
Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins, Andrew Hawkins among notable fantasy projections in Texans-Browns
We break down the Week 11 matchup between the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns.
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Houston Texans
Head coach Bill O'Brien seemed guarded when asked if running back Arian Foster (groin) would be able to play against the Browns this week. It will mean a lot more action for Texans wide receivers if Foster sits out, especially veteran Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins. Johnson will definitely set out to improve on his numbers from Week 9 against a porous Eagles' defense, as he only caught two passes in the contest. With Ryan Mallett taking over at the quarterback position, perhaps Johnson will find himself producing more than he has to this point in the season.
Opposite Johnson will be Hopkins. Hopkins managed 6 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown against Philadelphia two weeks ago, and outside of Foster, he’s probably the most reliable fantasy producer on the Texans’ roster. Hopkins should see a lot of targets and a lot of receptions come his way this week, especially if the Texans struggle to run the ball and ground duties are handed off to Alfred Blue. Fantasy owners should have Hopkins in their lineups this week.
Cleveland Browns
Don't look now, but the Cleveland Browns are 6-3 and leading their division. It's pretty incredible considering that coach Mike Pettine is doing it with a three-headed monster at the running back position. That said, all signs point to Terrance West leading the charge on the ground this week. Although his yards-per-carry average in any given game isn't always impressive, there's a good bet to see a lot of volume, even with two other running backs by his side. West is generally regarded as one of the more talented players on the team. Fantasy owners should ride him while he's getting the bulk of the carries and doing well.
In the passing game, wide receiver Josh Gordon (suspension) is just one more week away from returning to the lineup, which means that owners of Andrew Hawkins get one last shot at using him before he slides down one more spot on the depth chart. Hawkins should see a high volume of targets from quarterback Brian Hoyer Sunday, which makes him a strong play in PPR leagues, albeit against a pretty good Houston defense
