With a visit to face the league’s worst rush defense in Denver against the Broncos, a lot of Cleveland Browns players could rack up some major rushing yards in their Week 12 matchup. But should you start Jerome Ford of Kareem Hunt in your fantasy football lineup for this week? We’ll give you the fantasy outlook for each player.
Should You Start Jerome Ford or Kareem Hunt This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, our Consensus Rankings say that Ford is the player to start. His projected 9.1 points include 91 rushing yards. He is not projected for any receptions, but his projected stat line still outperforms the consensus projection of Hunt (8.2 points).
My ranking for these two running backs aligns with the consensus. Ford may not provide much in the receiving department, but he has been too solid at running the ball this season to pass him up against a poor rush defense.
Fantasy Outlook for Ford This Week
Ford has actually been held under 50 rushing yards in three of his last four games, so it may appear as if he has been slumping in the backfield recently. But that should not make you apprehensive about starting him this week.
Keep in mind that two weeks ago, facing one of the league’s top defenses in the Baltimore Ravens, Ford finished with 107 yards on only 17 carries. Over his last six games, Ford is averaging 63 rush yards a game and 4.4 yards per carry.
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Last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, when Ford was struggling to get much on the ground, he finished with 31 rushing yards and even found his way into the end zone.
The Browns rank third in rushing offense, averaging 142.7 yards per game. So, they should be able to run on any defense, especially the Broncos. In the two games since their bye week, Denver has allowed 192 rushing yards to the Buffalo Bills and 175 to the Minnesota Vikings.
The situation seems ideal for a bounce-back game for Ford.
Fantasy Outlook for Hunt This Week
When you’ve averaged fewer than four yards a carry in every game this season, it’s difficult to justify being a starter in fantasy lineups. Such is the case for Hunt, who has rushed for 50 or more yards once all season — Week 8 at Seattle — and is averaging just 3.2 yards a carry in 2023.
Hunt’s greatest value for fantasy football managers is his ability to score touchdowns, and he has been solid in that area, scoring six this season — all coming in his last six games.
There is a good chance that Hunt will join Ford in putting up good numbers against this Broncos’ defense. But if it’s a choice between the two, for this week at least, it has to be Ford.
The PFN Start/Sit Optimizer projects Hunt to finish with 25 rushing yards and three catches for 16 yards.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!