Cleveland Browns DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman (concussion) was a limited participant in practice for the second straight day on Thursday. Tillman has a chance at returning to the field this weekend for the first time since Week 12. However, Tillman is likely going to need to get through a full practice session on Friday in order to get cleared for Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. If active, Tillman is likely going to lose some streaming appeal since he was last on the field. Quarterback Jameis Winston has been benched in favor of Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The expectation is that the Browns are going to do more running and read options with Thompson-Robinson under center. That being said, Tillman will probably fall into the low-end WR3 range, assuming he's active for Week 16.

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (hamstring) was not seen at the portion of Thursday's practice that was open to the media. Njoku injured his hamstring in the Week 14 loss to the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers and sat out of last week's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He has yet to practice since suffering the injury, suggesting he's tracking toward missing a second straight game this weekend against the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. With Njoku out last Sunday, backup Jordan Akins was on the field more but only caught three of four targets for 30 yards. Njoku had become a must-start TE1 in fantasy before his injury due to excellent chemistry with quarterback Jameis Winston. Winston is now benched in favor of Dorian Thompson-Robinson, so if Njoku is able to play this weekend, he'll be a more volatile TE1 option.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman (concussion) remains in the league's concussion protocol, head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Wednesday. Tillman suffered his concussion in the Week 12 win over the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers and hasn't practiced or played since. The 24-year-old will likely miss the first practice of the week on Wednesday as the team prepares to face the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16. Tillman still has a few more days to make progress, but as of right now, the second-year pass-catcher appears to be on his way to missing yet another game. The Browns were also without tight end David Njoku (hamstring) in the Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Receiver Jerry Jeudy has gone off in recent weeks and is the only trustworthy fantasy wideout in Cleveland at the time, although that could change this week with Dorian Thompson-Robinson taking over at QB.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston will serve as the backup to Dorian Thompson-Robinson for the Week 16 game against the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, according to head coach Kevin Stefanski. This was expected to be the case when the Browns named Thompson-Robinson as the starter early this week. The Browns benched Winston after he threw three interceptions in the Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. In seven starts this year after replacing Deshaun Watson (Achilles), Winston threw for 2,038 yards and 12 touchdowns, adding 12 interceptions and also losing two fumbles. Thompson-Robinson didn't look all that much better in relief last weekend, but the Browns will change it up for at least this week. The matchup is a nice one for DTR in just his fourth career NFL start, but at best, he'll be a desperation QB2 in superflex leagues in the playoffs.

Cleveland Browns running back David Njoku (hamstring) is not expected to take part in the team's first practice of the week on Wednesday. Njoku injured his hamstring in the Week 14 loss to the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers and did not play in last Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Browns are hopeful that the 28-year-old tight end can return to play this Sunday against the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals, but a DNP to open the week isn't a great sign. However, Njoku still has two more days to return to practice, which would give him a chance to play this weekend. After slow going early in the year with quarterback Deshaun Watson (Achilles) leading the offense, Njoku's fantasy stock was boosted when Jameis Winston took over. However, Winston was benched in Week 15, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start in Week 16. If Njoku returns this weekend, he may not have as much chemistry with DTR.