Cleveland Browns DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Cleveland Browns running backs Jerome Ford (ankle) and Pierre Strong Jr. (concussion) have both been ruled out for the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. Ford sprained his ankle in the Week 17 loss to the Miami Dolphins and will be unavailable to play in the final game of the season. With Nick Chubb (foot) getting a late start in 2024 while recovering from a gruesome knee injury he suffered in 2023, Ford opened 2024 as Cleveland's RB1 and will finish the year as their leading rusher with 104 rushing attempts for 565 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and a team-high-tying three rushing touchdowns. With both Ford and Strong out this weekend, D'Onta Foreman will be in play as a low-upside RB3/flex for fantasy managers as the team's lead back. John Kelly should serve as his backup.

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (knee) missed practice all week and has officially been ruled out for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Saturday against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens. Njoku will end up missing three of the final four games of the 2024 season and finish with 64 receptions for 505 yards and five touchdowns in 11 starts after making his first Pro Bowl in 2023. While Njoku's numbers were a disappointment after what he did last year, his numbers were still good enough to make him a weekly TE1 in fantasy despite Cleveland's ongoing struggles at the quarterback position. The 28-year-old should remain in the TE1 picture in fantasy heading into next year despite questions about whether Deshaun Watson (Achilles) will even be the starter under center. Jordan Akins will have a bigger role yet again in Week 18 and will be a TE2 sleeper in DFS lineups.

Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (ankle) is trending toward missing the Week 18 regular-season finale on Saturday against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens after missing a third straight practice on Thursday. Pierre Strong Jr. (concussion) has also missed practice all week for the Browns, so it will likely be D'Onta Foreman serving as Cleveland's leading ball-carrier this weekend, with John Kelly in line to serve as his primary backup. The Browns will release their final Week 18 injury report later on Thursday, with both Ford and Strong likely being ruled out for a meaningless game for the Browns. In a game that the Browns will most likely have negative game script, Foreman shouldn't be viewed as anything more than a low-upside RB3/flex for fantasy lineups. The 28-year-old saw 13 carries for 49 yards (3.8 yards per tote) last week when Ford injured his ankle.

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (knee) is missing his third straight practice of the week on Thursday, which suggests he'll be ruled out again for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Saturday against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens. If Njoku is officially ruled out on Thursday, he will have missed three of the final four games of the season due to injury. The 28-year-old has been a top-10 fantasy TE this year in terms of average half-PPR points per game (7.3) thanks to 64 catches on 97 targets for 505 yards and five touchdowns in his 11 games played. In what is expected to be a blowout loss to the Ravens, backup tight end Jordan Akins could rack up some notable garbage production this weekend if Njoku is inactive. In the Week 17 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Akins had season-highs in catches (six), targets (eight) and receiving yards (49).

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett (ribs) did not practice in the team's first session of the week on Wednesday. Pickett is dealing with broken ribs and was forced from the Week 17 blowout win over the division-rival Dallas Cowboys in favor of third-stringer Tanner McKee. The Eagles are already locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC for the postseason, and head coach Nick Sirianni has confirmed that he plans to rest starts in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival New York Giants, including running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Jalen Hurts (concussion), who was inactive last week. The 26-year-old Pickett's availability is in question, but if we had to guess right now, we'd be surprised if Pickett plays. McKee did throw two touchdowns in mop-up duty last week, but fantasy managers should be looking to avoid Philly's offense in Week 18.