Cleveland Browns DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford carried the ball nine times for 17 yards and added four catches for 15 yards in a 45-14 loss to the Houston Texans in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday. Ford was quiet in his first playoff game as the Browns fell behind 24-14 at halftime and had to shift to a pass-first approach in the second half. Ford turned in a solid effort as Cleveland's lead back after the team lost Nick Chubb to a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. Chubb is likely to be back at some point early in the 2024 season but Ford has certainly earned himself a role as the No. 2 running back in Cleveland moving forward. With Chubb set to become a free-agent after next season, Ford remains an interesting long-term asset in dynasty formats.

Cleveland Browns running back Pierre Strong Jr. (back) has been ruled out ahead of Saturday's Wild-Card game against the Houston Texans. Strong was considered questionable heading into this game due to a back issue. The Browns have decided to take the cautious approach and hold him out of this game. His absence won't have a huge impact on the running game for Cleveland. The expectation is that Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt will see basically all the carries in the backfield.

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku finished the regular season on a high note as he went for at least 91 receiving yards in three of his final four games while catching four touchdowns over that span. He will look to keep it going in the first round of the NFL playoffs against the Houston Texans on Saturday. Njoku caught six passes for 44 yards and a touchdown back when these two teams met in Week 16 and will be a primary piece in the Cleveland passing attack on Saturday. Houston struggled against tight ends in the regular season as they allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to the position. Njoku is in play as the top overall fantasy tight end for DFS contests this weekend.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Elijah Moore will head on the road to take on the Houston Texans in the first round of the NFL playoffs on Saturday. In Week 17, Moore was on his way to his best game in a Cleveland uniform before a concussion knocked him out of action. He is fully cleared from the league's protocol and will be good to go as Cleveland's No. 2 WR on Saturday. The Texans were shredded by Amari Cooper back when these two teams played in Week 16, so there's a chance that they focus their defense on making sure that doesn't happen again. If that is the case, Moore should have extra work sent his way as the Browns look to advance in the playoffs. Treat Moore as a solid WR3 in DFS contests this weekend.

Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford should be well-rested after he handled just five touches in a Week 18 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The second-year running back will now head on the road to take on the Houston Texans in the first round of the NFL playoffs. Ford draws a difficult matchup this weekend as the Texans allowed just the 19th-most fantasy points per game to running backs in the regular season. That being said, Ford has been active in Cleveland's passing game, so he should be a decent fantasy options in full PPR sites. Ford is on the board as a top-12 fantasy running back in DFS this weekend.