Cleveland Browns DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson struggled in a home loss to the New York Giants in Week 3, throwing two touchdown passes but getting sacked eight times on 37 pass attempts. He will look to get back on track in a road game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4. The Raiders have been relatively generous to opposing quarterbacks so far this season, allowing the 11th-most fantasy points per game to the position. That being said, Watson hasn't done much to inspire confidence in him in fantasy this season, throwing just three touchdowns and two interceptions through three games. Still looking for his first 200-yard passing game this season, Watson should be on benches in fantasy as a low-end QB2 heading into Week 4's matchup.

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (ankle) will miss his third straight game as he will not suit up this weekend when the Browns face the Las Vegas Raiders. The tight end suffered a high-ankle sprain in the season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys and has remained sidelined since. However, the 28-year-old returned to practice in a limited capacity on Thursday but is still not cleared to return to game action. Fantasy managers should monitor Njoku's status before their Week 5 match against the Washington Commanders. Fantasy managers should expect Jordan Akins to serve as the lead tight end again on Sunday. He could be a viable play in deeper formats, as he caught four of his seven targets last week.

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (ankle) was back on the practice field on Thursday. This is a welcoming sight as this was Njoku's first practice since September 6. It still remains unclear if Njoku will suit up for the Week 4 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Friday's practice session should go a long way to determining whether or not Njoku plays. There's a chance that Njoku is on a snap count considering he hasn't played since Week 1. If healthy, Njoku should be a low-end TE1 against a Raiders defense that has struggled to slow down the tight end this season.

Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (knee) missed Wednesday's practice with a knee injury, but he's back on the field on Thursday leading up to a Week 4 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders. Needless to say, his return is promising for his chances to suit up on Sunday for the AFC clash. Ford is averaging 10.4 half-PPR fantasy points per game this year, but his last two contests were unproductive. However, the Raiders have surrendered the third-most rushing yards to running backs (398) and the second-most fantasy points per game (29.1) to the position. Assuming Ford is active, he could be in a perfect bounce-back spot. Ford should continue to operate as the lead back, at least until Nick Chubb (knee) returns to action. It will likely be a committee when the aging back returns.UPDATE: Ford was officially limited on Thursday.

Cleveland Browns running backs Jerome Ford (knee) and Pierre Strong Jr. (hamstring) are both expected to miss the first practice of the week on Wednesday. It's unclear right now if Ford's knee injury is serious enough to potentially keep him from playing in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders or if they're just giving him a day of rest. The 25-year-old had 10 carries for 37 yards and also caught three passes for 33 yards in the Week 3 loss to the New York Giants. We'll have a better idea of Ford's status for Sunday's contest on Thursday, but this is definitely a situation to watch going forward. If Ford is indeed in danger of missing the Week 4 game, D'Onta Foreman would become a popular waiver-wire pickup for fantasy managers hurting at the position early in the year. In the Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Foreman had 14 carries for 42 yards.