If Nick Chubb plays, you must start him vs. Texans
By John Buhler
Nick Chubb could be in for a huge return game vs. the Houston Texans on Sunday.
It has been a while since Nick Chubb ran the football for the Cleveland Browns. The star running back has not played since the first weekend in October due to an MCL sprain. Chubb was put on injured reserve with a designation to return after exiting the Week 4 win over the Dallas Cowboys. However, he came off IR this week and all signs lead toward him playing vs. the Houston Texans.
The Fantasy Footballers are excited about the possibility of being able to watch Chubb on fall Sundays again, as well as starting him in fantasy football. Though he has been out for a month and change, how confident should you feel about starting Chubb in fantasy football? You drafted him as your RB1, so can you feel that good about slotting him into his normal position, right?
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While it goes without saying that you need to start Chubb on Sunday in fantasy if he is active, you may want to go with him as an RB2 or a flex option if you want to be cautious about it. There will be some variance about what type of performance you could get out of him, but the reward is certainly worth the risk. There are plenty of advantages to starting him this week if he is active.
Weather could be a factor in the Browns’ home game vs. the Texans
The first is the opponent the Browns will be going up against. While Cleveland is very much in playoff contention in the AFC at this stage of the season, Houston is one of only a few teams in either conference who are already looking to turn the page on 2020. Houston is among one of the worst teams in the AFC, so look for Chubb and the Browns running game to have success Sunday.
Another reason to start Chubb will be the weather in Northeast Ohio. As fall approaches winter, it will favor teams who play in colder climates like the Browns do. Cleveland not only has the personnel and the offensive philosophy to go ground-centric, but the weather may force the Browns’ hands sooner than they want to. Expect Baker Mayfield to hand the ball off a ton.
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Lastly, this plays right into what head coach Kevin Stefanski wants to do. He wants to win with a ball-control offense, which means there will be plenty of carries to go around in the Cleveland backfield. While Chubb may not get his normal allotment of carries right away in his first week back, it will still likely be more than many teams will give a running back on a regular basis.