Cleveland Browns DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku caught five of his seven targets for 61 yards and a touchdown in a 29-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8. Njoku finished fourth on the Browns in receiving yards while hauling in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Jameis Winston in the third quarter, his second touchdown catch over his past two games. The veteran tight end is looking like a top option at the position moving forward with the Cleveland offense all of a sudden looking competent with Winston under center. Treat Njoku as a high-end TE1 heading into Week 9 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy caught five of his eight targets for 79 yards in a 29-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8. Jeudy turned in his best game of the season in the upset win of the Ravens, topping his previous season-high in receiving by six yards. The entire Cleveland passing attack benefitted greatly by having Jameis Winston and not Deshaun Watson under center as they set season-highs in points scored and passing yards in the win over their AFC North rivals. Jeudy will be on the map as a flex option heading into Week 9 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman caught seven of his nine targets for 99 yards and two touchdowns in a 29-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8. Tillman turned in his second strong outing in a row since the trade of Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills ahead of Week 7. The second-year wideout's second touchdown was the game-winner as he got wide open behind the Baltimore defense and hauled in a 38-yard score from Jameis Winston to give the Browns a 29-24 lead with 1:04 left in the fourth quarter. Tillman is quickly becoming a solid WR2 in fantasy and should be in all starting lineups heading into Week 9's matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Cleveland Browns running back Pierre Strong Jr. is expected to serve as the top backup for the Week 8 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. The Browns are shorthanded at running back with Jerome Ford (hamstring) sidelined again. That means, Strong should get mixed in as the change-of-pace back behind Nick Chubb. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect much from Strong considering he rushed for six yards on three attempts last week. His role is likely going to be minimal with Chubb gaining more snaps each week. Fantasy managers should be able to find more production elsewhere.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (Achilles) underwent successful surgery on Friday. He's expected to make a full recovery. The signal-caller suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the divisional matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, ending his season. Watson had a year to forget in 2024-25, throwing for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also completed only 63.4% of his attempts. For now, Watson will focus on his rehab efforts, although it will be a while before he returns to the field. But it's unknown If he's already played his final game as a Cleveland Brown. Without Watson at the helm, Jameis Winston will take over under center. While the Browns offense isn't the best, Winston has a place in multi-quarterback formats for Week 8 versus the Baltimore Ravens.