The Cleveland Browns were one of the best stories in the NFL during the 2018 season, as we all witnessed the former joke of the league begin their rise to fruition. Although they still finished the year under .500, 7-8-1, there was no denying that the pieces were all finally together to give the city of Cleveland a formidable presence in football.
Cleveland began last year by trading for then Dolphins receiver, Jarvis Landry, followed up by drafting Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick in the 2018 draft. They would then go on to draft Denzel Ward out of Ohio State to lock up the corner position, and used a second-rounder on Nick Chubb to accommodate Mayfield in the offense.
The defense in Cleveland was already solid before the 2018 season, it was the offense and lack of a reliable signal-caller, along with the head coaching position, that was holding the Browns back. That changed when the trio of Mayfield-Chubb-Landry changed the offensive dynamic throughout the season and completely changed the environment and the way Cleveland was perceived in the eyes of the football world.
Now, coming into 2019 with an even better offense after acquiring WR Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants to pair alongside Landry, how much bigger of a step should we expect from Baker Mayfield and this offense as a whole?
Options Across the Field
Cleveland has finally been blessed with riches all across their offense that gives them absolute confidence on every snap. Landry and Beckham finally back together after playing alongside each other at LSU. Chubb coming into his second season with Duke Johnson and Kareem Hunt backing him up. David Njoku finally finding his stride and expanding his role in the offense. Freddie Kitchens and his offensive staff might just be holding the reigns to one of the most explosive offenses for the upcoming season.
The Receivers: The duo of Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. might just be one of the best in all of football. Two receivers with former chemistry playing together, coming back to reunite in one of the best young offenses in the league just makes it that much better.
Landry’s first season in Cleveland was below average for his standards. Having a career-low in receptions (81) and completion percentage (54.4%, 81 rec. on 149 targets), Landry still managing to garner up 976 yards and 4 TD’s, which is a typical Jarvis Landry end-of-season stat line. This season will be Landry’s first in which he doesn’t find himself as the team’s number one option at receiver, so a dip in his yardage and targets is all but certain. On the other side, some of the defense’s focus will be taken off of him this year with the threat of OBJ streaking down the field.
When healthy, Odell is arguably the most explosive player in the entire league. His ability to take the top off the defense and change the complexion of the game is unmatched, we all know this already. So what is that going to look like in brown and orange? Combining him with a young bull in Mayfield who loves to take shots down the field is a match made in heaven and a nightmare for opposing secondaries. Beckham finally has the quarterback play he has been craving for the last couple of seasons and he should shine brighter than ever in Cleveland. Look for him to pick up the pace from his first three seasons, where Beckham posted double-digit TD’s and at least 1,300 yards in each of those campaigns.
David Njoku could go either way in 2019. He saw a 24 reception increase from 2017 to 2018, which came with a 253-yard rise as well. However, his YPC decreased and his touchdown total remained the same. Njoku made himself more of a threat between-the-20’s, but his red-zone usage is still minimal, hauling in only seven receptions in his first two seasons in that area. The addition of Beckham will drastically impact the wave Njoku rides this year, but at this point, it is unclear whether it will be positive or not. With the way I think the Browns offense will operate this year and my fantasy crush for Baker Mayfield, Njoku should have a career year in this new look offensive juggernaut.
Landry’s 2019 Season Projection: 91 Receptions, 1027 Yards (11.3 YPC), 7 TD’s
Beckham’s 2019 Season Projection:Â 108 Receptions, 1496 Yards (13.9 YPC), 13 TD’s
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Njoku’s 2019 Season Projection:Â 65 Receptions, 731 Yards (11.2 YPC), 6 TD’s
The Running Backs:Â Cleveland has undoubtedly one of the most loaded backfield rotations in the league. Chubb and Duke Johnson was already a great duo, but adding Kareem Hunt to the mix only strengthens their depth. However, the addition of Hunt has raised some questions about Johnson’s future in northern Ohio.
Johnson, who already showed some frustration privately within the organization amid his lack of touches in 2018, has “at least three NFL teams” showing interest in him, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Two of these teams are believed to be Dallas and Philadelphia.
Going forward into the 2019 season, it is expected that Duke Johnson will no longer be apart of the Browns’ organization, although that is highly dependent on Kareem Hunt’s future in the league. Wherever Johnson finds himself, he should post similar numbers to last season, as he is more of a hybrid, receiving back rather than a three-down back. 50-65 receptions, 65-80 rushes, 700-900 total yards, and 4-6 touchdowns are what Johnson should see in his immediate future in the NFL.
Nick Chubb grabbed a hold of the starting position for the Browns in Week 7 and never looked back. Now, coming into his second year with Cleveland, he is poised to make an even bigger impact in the backfield. If Johnson’s future with the orange and brown is over, Chubb’s presence in the passing game should increase, even when Hunt is back from his 
suspension. The added threat in the passing game should help open up the run game as well, so Chubb should have no problem topping his totals from last season across the board. Look to invest in Chubb around the mid-second round region in a 12-team league, but I would full confidence drafting him around the first/second round turn.
Kareem Hunt, who is suspended for the first eight games of this upcoming NFL season, is opening the Browns training camp on the active/non-football injury list. Hunt is currently dealing with a minor groin injury, so Browns fans will have to wait a little longer to see him on the practice field. When he is healthy and ready to go, fans should see one of the most well-rounded running backs in the league. Once Hunt is able to make a contribution on the field during a game, it’ll be Week 10 against Buffalo. By that time, Chubb could very well have a vice-grip on the backfield role, so it’s difficult to predict the impact Hunt will have for Cleveland this year. Regardless, having an option like Hunt off of the bench is as good as it gets in this league.
Chubb’s 2019 Season Prediction:Â 273 Attempts, 1268 Yards (4.6 YPC), 11 TD’s, 3 Fumbles; 44 Receptions, 317 Yards (7.2 YPC), 3 TD’s
Hunt’s 2019 Season Prediction:Â 64 Attempts, 271 Yards (4.2 YPC), 2 TD’s, 1 Fumble; 22 Receptions, 216 Yards (9.8 YPC), 1 TD
The Start of Fantasy Superstardom
It took Baker Mayfield one half of a game against the New York Jets in Week 3 of last season for everyone to realize that Mayfield was the real deal, and Cleveland had finally found its’ franchise quarterback. After the next 13 starts, Mayfield ended the year with 3,725 passing yards to go along with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Coming into 2019, Mayfield is PRIMED to explode. Baker will be playing under the system he thrived in during the second half of 2018 for his whole second season, and the acquisition of Odell will only allow him to expand his already impressive game. Known as a gunslinger in his college days, we saw him transfer this vital part of his game into the NFL, as he threw 75 deep balls last season, which was 4th out of all qualifying QB’s. Odell and playing a full 16 games could very well make him the #1 deep ball throwing quarterback this year.
Another interesting part about Baker’s game that separates himself from other high-tier quarterbacks is his ability to make exceptionally difficult throws, whether it be in clutch time or facing heavy pressure. According to PlayerProfiler.com, Mayfield recorded 28 money throws last season, which is good for 6th in the entire league. On the other side, Mayfield found himself outside of the top-20 for dangerous throws as well, which shows his maturity this early into his career.
This season should see Mayfield put himself in that borderline elite quarterback tier that Carson Wentz found himself in after his second season. Mayfield has all of the weapons needed to succeed within the AFC North. He should have no problem ending the season within the top five in passing touchdowns, as he finished 11th last season with more than a couple of games to spare. 4,000+ yards in the air shouldn’t be a problem at all either for Mayfield, hell he might be closer to 5,000 yards.
Mayfield’s 2019 Season Predictions:Â 387/584 Passing (66.2%), 4,687 Yards (293 YPG), 36 Touchdowns, 12 Interceptions; 54 Attempts, 186 Yards (3.44 YPC), 1 TD, 4 Fumbles
Over the past five seasons, an average of 3.4 quarterbacks have finished the year averaging 20+ PPG in fantasy. Mayfield is projected to put up 20.8 PPG in 2019.
The Cleveland Browns find themselves in the most promising position they’ve been in since just about ever in recent history. They have a legitimate shot to have both a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver, maybe two. Baker Mayfield might even find himself in the MVP running this year.
All-in-all, the Browns are a serious threat this year in the NFL and I see them advancing to the playoffs and making a little run while they’re at it. 10-6 sounds just about right, which is usually what it takes to win an always tight AFC North or to secure a Wild Card spot. Cleveland will be must-watch football this year and like most of the country, I can’t wait to watch it unfold.
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