Fantasy Football 2018: Browns going with running back by committee

The Browns will start the season with a running back committee, causing more headaches for fantasy football owners.

The Cleveland Browns had an interesting offseason, started by acquiring Jarvis Landry from Miami. The team then signed running back Carlos Hyde. The team then drafted some high-potential players. This got fantasy football owners and Browns fans alike excited for the new season.

Browns running back coach Freddie Kitchens already gave away what the team plans on doing in the backfield. “When the season unfolds, Kitchens said he plans to ride the “hot hand” because ‘if they are having success, why would you change?'” according to the team’s official website.

This means we’ll see a rotation featuring Hyde, Duke Johnson and rookie Nick Chubb. As far as which running back will get the first look will depend on how things play out in training camp but I expect Hyde to get the first carry.

Hyde is coming off his best season with the San Francisco 49ers. He recorded 938 rushing yards, eight touchdowns and 350 receiving yards. I would have loved to see what he and Jimmy Garoppolo could do on offense but that remain in our imaginations.

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Johnson played in all 16 games but was the starting running back in zero of them. He received 82 carries for 348 yards and four touchdowns. Johnson caught 74 passes for 693 yards and another three touchdowns.

Johnson will still have a big impact in PPR leagues. But, if you thought that the Browns giving him an extension would result in a full-time role, you were unfortunately mistaken. He’ll be in another committee like he was with Isaiah Crowell in the mix.

The difference maker in this trio is Chubb. In his four seasons at Georgia, he amassed 4,769 rushing yards, 44 touchdowns, 31 receptions, 361 receiving yards and four more touchdowns. The Browns coaching staff seems high on him so far this offseason.

“The former Georgia star ran hard throughout OTAs and minicamp, breaking off a handful of big runs and flashing sure hands in the passing game — something he wasn’t asked to handle much while in college.”

This bodes well for his usage entering this season. It could mean that Hyde is only on the team for one season. The Browns have an opt-out clause at the end of the year.

The Browns have an interesting season ahead of them. They made a lot of moves in the offseason and made some could-be impactful draft picks on both sides of the ball. The running back situation is more helpful for real football than fantasy football.

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When drafting, Hyde will likely be the lead back but will spell some carries to both Johnson and Chubb. He’s a low-end RB2 in standard leagues. Johnson gets a boost in value because of his pass-catching ability. Chubb is a late-round flier and potential star in dynasty leagues.

Good luck trying to figure out who gets the majority of snaps and goal-line carries this season.

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