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Fantasy Football: Can We Bank On Isaiah Crowell?

By Dave Fuqua

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Can We Bank On Isaiah Crowell?

The one certainty in the NFL when it comes to starting running back positions is that there is no certainty. However, we have to define a starter and do the best we can with what information we have. Now for the Cleveland Browns they are going to start off the year with some fresh new uniforms and hopefully for the dog pound faithful a new attitude to go with them.

Crowell finished last year on a rampage and emerged as Cleveland’s best back for early downs. Crowell will likely lose most of the passing down work to rookie Duke Johnson, but he should get the larger share of the work and hopefully the goal line carries. As long as he gets the goal line work I am thinking I would be happy to spend around a sixth or seventh round pick on Crowell. My fear is that they hype will surpass what I expect from him and render him as someone who I am not willing to draft very high.

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Crowell did punch in eight TDs last year and seems to have a nice nose for the end zone. He also sported a very healthy 4.1 yards per carry average that should bode well with the coaching staff and the powers that be in the organization.

Crowell will mostly be a standard league option for me as when I owned him last year in PPR leagues he was a very TD dependent type of back. I could possibly see myself going up to the fifth round to draft him in a standard league if he shows well in pre-season and has the ability to find the end zone well.

Another factor for Crowell is what will the Browns do at QB. The Browns as of now seem intent to allow Josh McCown to take over at QB while Johnny Manziel continues to take second-team reps. I am not too sure that either guy particularly interests me as far as helping that to be a high-octane type of fantasy offense that produces top-tier players.

To make things harder for the Browns they will also be without the services of highly talented but troubled Josh Gordon. Gordon led the league in receiving yards at the tender age of 22 and is a player that would really open things up for any RB, but that will not be happening for the 2015 season.

So to sum it all up for me I would possibly reach for Crowell in a standard league no higher than around the fifth round and be much more comfortable drafting him in the sixth through eighth. In PPR leagues I am not taking him until around the eights round at the earliest so I may miss out on owing him in PPR and that is just fine by me. I like Crowell’s prospects for the 2015 season, but I am not going crazy to trade for him in dynasty or keeper leagues as I am just not sold on his long-term prospects just yet.n

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