The Cleveland Browns started the season 1-2. Since then they've won four of five, only an inexplicable beatdown at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars putting them a 5-3 instead of 6-2. That hot stretch culminated Sunday in the Browns' 22-17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Terrance West, Taylor Gabriel manage touchdowns for fantasy owners as Browns win
It wasn’t spectacular by any means, but the Browns managed to get the win Sunday. We break down the fantasy implications.
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The Browns never got much going Sunday, falling behind Tampa Bay 10-6 and then 17-10, but a fourth-quarter touchdown put Cleveland ahead for good. The Browns got almost nothing from the running game, but the passing game did just enough for the win.
Let’s look at the fantasy performances of note, for better or worse:
Brian Hoyer: The quarterback had his highest yardage of the season Sunday, with 300 on 21-of-34 passing, but he also doubled his season interception total, with two. He did throw for two touchdowns, managing 16 total fantasy points, his second-highest total of the season. Overall, though, Hoyer doesn't offer much for fantasy owners.
Ben Tate: The running back's rapid slide to irrelevance continued Sunday. He managed only 32 total yards of the game, with 29 of those yards coming on four catches; Tate ran the ball 10 times for only 3 yards on the ground. After 12 and 19 fantasy points in Weeks 5 and 6, Tate has 13 total in the last three weeks, and saw most of the carries Sunday go to ...
Terrance West: It's been an up-and-down season for West, who looked like Tate's obvious replacement when the starter got hurt early in the season, then was eclipsed by Isaiah Crowell, and now seems to have leapt back up to the No. 1 role. He had 15 carries for 48 yards against the Bucs, catching a single pass for 2 yards. That catch, though, also went for a touchdown, meaning West ended up with 10 fantasy points, his third time with at least 10 this season, but his first since Week 2. Ultimately, it's almost impossible to use a Browns running back in fantasy with any faith at all. If you want to use one, it's probably West for now, but you really just want to avoid them all.
Taylor Gabriel: Gabriel has been sporadically productive this season, but Sunday was his third game with 80-plus yards. The rookie caught five passes for 87 yards and his first career touchdown. The not-that-intimidating three-headed monster of Browns receivers -- Miles Austin, Andrew Hawkins, Travis Benjamin -- appears to have expanded to four, as Gabriel led the team in receptions and yards. Austin had 54 yards on three catches, Benjamin 52 on two, and Hawkins 34 on three Sunday, though Hawkins did lead the team with eight targets. Basically, anytime you're using a Browns receiver you're rolling the dice.
