The Cleveland Browns will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Browns skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 15 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Jameis Winston, QB
Jameis Winston had one completion through the middle of October and is now the only quarterback with 40+ pass attempts in five games this season.
Never change, Jameis. Never change.
If you’re playing Winston this time of year, I admire your gumption. Either that, or you’re desperate, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It happens, and swinging for the fences is a logical approach if you believe your team is overmatched (it’s no different than an NBA team launching threes to embrace variance).
But I think you’re drawing dead in this spot. Twice a QB scored 20 fantasy points against the Chiefs this season and both of them cleared 11 points with their legs (Lamar Jackson in Week 1 and Josh Allen in Week 11). That’s not Winston’s path to upside. If the ceiling isn’t there, you’re taking on an awfully low floor in the name of fun.
Early weather projections are for some wind and some rain. Not overly prohibitive, but also not ideal, and you need to run as hot as the sun to get Winston to be a usable asset. I’d keep Winston rostered (Week 16 at Cincinnati), but I’d rather plug in current punching bag Kirk Cousins (at Raiders) or Anthony Richardson (at DEN) if he was cut loose ahead of his bye week.
Jerome Ford, RB
Jerome Ford out-carried Nick Chubb in the first half last week, and while I’m not comfortable labeling him as the best bet to lead this team in work moving forward, he’s worked into enough of a role to at least be added.
We know there is some versatility in this profile; with Jameis Winston on the short list of players who could lead the league in passing attempts for the rest of the season, a player like Ford could churn out some PPR value.
For now, I’m not considering Ford for my Flex spot in any league type, but the path for that change is clear, and it is why he should be on a roster in your league.
Nick Chubb, RB
I can’t imagine feeling good about starting Nick Chubb in any matchup right now; that, by definition, puts him on the chopping block if you’re in desperation mode.
Chubb doesn’t have a 20-yard gain this season and has been benched for extended stretches over the past month. This offense has embraced the chaos that comes with Jameis Winston being under center, and that means a high pass rate over expectation — Chubb has just five catches this season.
The Chiefs are the third-best run defense in the league and are likely to be operating with a lead, thus dragging down Cleveland’s projected rush total even further.
It’s good to see Chubb healthy and on an NFL field, but you’re in trouble if you’re counting on him to contribute to your fantasy squad.
Cedric Tillman, WR
Cedric Tillman hasn’t practiced in consecutive weeks (concussion) and entered this week still in protocol. He was not able to clear it and will miss Week 15.
Given how productive Jerry Jeudy has been under Jameis Winston’s leadership, I worry that the deep role Tillman left won’t be there when he returns.
For the season, Tillman owns a 12.3-yard aDOT and has seen two of his three scores come on deep passes. For me, he’s the most volatile receiver in a volatile offense. I’ll pass unless I’m in the most desperate of situations.
That’s not a knock on Tillman as much as it is confidence in myself to put together a starting lineup that carries a stable enough floor where I don’t need to roll the dice on a profile like this in a tough spot in order to be competitive.
That said, I’m 100% holding onto Tillman. If you thought the Browns had to put their foot on the gas to keep up with Bo Nix on Monday night, what happens with Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Tua Tagovailoa left on the schedule after this week?
Tillman isn’t the type of player I’m rushing back into lineups, but assuming health, he’s going to carry plenty of ceiling appeal during the most important stretch of the fantasy season.
Elijah Moore, WR
Elijah Moore earned just four targets last week, and his inconsistencies in that department are what keep him on the low end of the Flex rankings at best. Despite all of the aforementioned volume in this offense, Moore’s target count has been consistently inconsistent, and that’s not going to pay the bills in a Jameis Winston offense that comes with built-in volatility as it is.
- Week 11 at New Orleans Saints: six catches on eight targets
- Week 12 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: three catches on five targets
- Week 13 at Denver Broncos: eight catches on 14 targets
- Week 14 at Pittsburgh Steelers: three catches on four targets
I’m willing to admit that the Steelers might just defend his specific role well. They are an elite defense that takes away layup targets, thus putting Moore in a tough spot. The Chiefs allow the fourth-most yards per slot pass this season, a flaw that gives me cautious optimism that the recent streak of high-volume odd-numbered weeks can continue.
Moore isn’t a must-play, but I do have him ranked ahead of other primary slot options like DeMario Douglas and Wan’Dale Robinson this week.
Jerry Jeudy, WR
We got the Jameis Winston experience, both the good and the bad, all within one game last week. Jerry Jeudy cashed in a 35-yard touchdown on Cleveland’s second drive and it was easy to get excited about a second straight ceiling week from his WR1.
Not so much.
That single catch accounted for more than half of Jeudy’s Week 14 production, the result of Winston being awfully ordinary after the hot start. It’s a roller coaster ride from quarter to quarter, let alone week over week, and that means you’re never going to be in a comfortable spot. The one thing you can count on from the Browns these days is extreme volume; as long as that continues, the math suggests that starting Jeudy is the play.
Could this be a floor week? Of course. Any week can be, but a Chiefs defense that ranks better than the league average in both yards per pass and touchdown rate brings such an outcome more into focus. I’ve got Jeudy pegged as a high-end Flex play this weekend — with bye weeks behind us, I’m looking for more matchup upside when constructing my DFS lineups.
David Njoku, TE
The Patrick Mahomes/Travis Kelce connection is art and the versatility of Trey McBride is special, but the raw athleticism of David Njoku makes him as appealing as anyone at the position despite a quarterback situation that can only be described as semi-organized chaos these days.
He flashed that potential with a late 15-yard touchdown grab over the weekend, propelling him to his second top-five finish at the position for a second straight game (and the third time in four contests). Njoku’s red zone and slot usage have spiked, two parts of a role that I weigh heavier than most.
I’m sorry, but nothing attached to Jameis Winston can be labeled as a Tier 1 asset. That said, Njoku is very much in the second tier at the tight end position and is my highest-ranked tight end in this game.