In support of: Preeclampsia Foundation
Our Purpose is to improve the outcomes of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy by educating, supporting and engaging the community, improving healthcare practices, and finding a cure.
We envision a world where hypertensive disorders of pregnancy no longer threaten the lives of mothers and their babies.
Nominated by Wyatt (@WyattB_FF)
“My son was born 10 weeks early due to my wife suffering from preeclampsia and had to spend 7 weeks in the NICU. Needless to say, the preeclampsia foundation is very important to me.”
#Project32 Menu
2020 Recap
Division: AFC North
2020 Finish: 11-5 (2nd in AFC North)
2020 Tendencies:
- Passing Ratio: 50% (28th)
- Neutral Game Script: 52% (29th)
- Offensive Scheme: West Coast
Personnel Groupings:
- 11 Personnel (1RB, 1TE, 3WR) = 44%
- 12 Personnel (1RB, 2TE, 3WR) = 26%
- 13 Personnel (1RB, 3TE, 1WR) = 14%
- 22 Personnel (2RB, 2TE, 1WR) = 8%
- 21 Personnel (2RB, 1TE, 2WR) = 7%
- 23 Personnel (2RB, 3TE, 1WR) = 1%
Coaching Room
Head Coach: Kevin Stefanski
Kevin Stefanski finished his first season as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns at 11-5 and won his first playoff game before being bounced in the divisional round by the Kansas City Chiefs. Stefanski doubles as the offensive play caller in Cleveland and the offense finished 14th in points, 24th in passing yards, and third in rushing yards. He runs a heavy outside zone scheme that looks to stretch defenses horizontally creating opportunities in the play-action game. Cleveland has arguably the best backfield in the NFL with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, so it makes sense that they ranked 28th in passing ratio at 50% in a league that loves the passing game. Not to mention, they have arguably the best offensive line in football and did not have Odell Beckham for nine games in 2020. If Beckham can stay healthy all season along with Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper, we could be in store for an offense that can beat you both on the ground and in the air. Baker Mayfield ranked eighth in the league with a 69.5% play-action completion percentage and sixth in deep ball completion percentage at 46.6%. This offense, if clicking on all cylinders, will be fun to watch and we can expect the defense to put them in favorable situations.
Overall Rank: 13th/32
OL Room
LT Jedrick Wills Jr – PFF 62.6, Pass Blocking 77.6, Run Blocking 52.8
Jedrick Wills Jr was the 10th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft coming out of Alabama. In his first season in the NFL, Wills Jr. struggled with technique finishing 57th out of 79 tackles graded in overall PFF Grade. He did finish 26th in pass-block grade, but he was penalized 11 times which led the league while giving up four sacks and 18 total pressures. The Browns are high on their left tackle and believe he can become one of the best left tackles in the NFL.
LG Joel Bitonio – PFF 85.5, Pass Blocking 85.7, Run Blocking 81.8
Joel Bitonio enters his seventh year in Cleveland and is coming off his third consecutive Pro Bowl selection. He was a second-round draft pick out of the University of Nevada and hasn’t missed a game in four years. He finished fifth in Overall PFF Grade while also finishing second in pass-block grade and seventh in run-block grade.
C J.C. Tretter – PFF 81.0, Pass Blocking 84.0, Run Blocking 76.5
He finished the 2020 season ranked second, behind only Corey Linsley, in overall PFF grade while also finishing second in pass-block grade and seventh in run-block grade. After three seasons in Green Bay he landed in Cleveland and has started every game for the last four years.
RG Wyatt Teller – PFF 92.3, Pass Blocking 61.7, Run Blocking 93.6
Wyatt Teller did not come to the NFL as a top draft prospect after being selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Virginia Tech and after one season in Buffalo, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns. In his first season in Cleveland in 2019, he would start nine games and earned his place on this unit. In 2020, he finished first in both Overall PFF Grade and Run-Block Grade.
RT Jack Conklin – PFF 84.0, Pass Blocking 81.5, Run Blocking 78.8
Jack Conklin is another 1st round draft pick after being drafted 8th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. Conklin is a two-time First-Team All-Pro including his rookie season in 2016. Outside of the 2018 season where he missed seven games, Conklin has been able to stay healthy only missing one game out of 64. He finished the 2020 season with his best overall PFF grade of his career, ranking him 10th in the league while also finishing in the top-fifteen in pass block and run block grades. With two former first-round picks at the tackle position the Browns should once again have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
New Toys: Greg Sanat
Old News: Kendall Lamm (15/1)
Overall Rank: 1st/32
QB Room
Baker Mayfield (QB19)
Baker Mayfield led the Cleveland Browns to their first winning season in 13 years including the 2017 season when they were 0-16. Mayfield was drafted first overall after that infamous 2017 season out of the University of Oklahoma where he won the Heisman Trophy. In his rookie year he showed flashes of a franchise quarterback and finished with 3,725 yards passing and 27 touchdowns. Coming into his second year in Cleveland the expectations were high, and the plan was to make the playoffs and make a run, but the team struggled to a 6-10 record, once again, missing the playoffs. There were questions about Mayfield’s leadership qualities and his ability to help create a winning culture. The Browns made a coaching change and he responded by leading this team to an 11-5 record while throwing for 3,563 yards and 26 touchdowns with only 8 interceptions. He has a very good offensive line, a two-headed monster at the running back position, and Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham and Austin Hooper to work in the passing game. This team has been built around Baker on offense and the opportunity is there to make a run at a Lombardi. The AFC is loaded, but if they can win the division and find a way to earn the right to play at home in the playoffs, you never know. This is now Baker’s team and it’s time to take the next step.
Fantasy Outlook
Passing: 537 attempts, 67.0%, 4384 yards, 33 touchdowns
Rushing: 53 attempts, 168 yards, 1 touchdown
Total Fantasy Points: 312.2
New Toys: N/A
Old News: N/A
Position Fantasy Grade: 20th/32
RB Room
Nick Chubb (RB12)
Nick Chubb is arguably one of the best runners of the football in the NFL when it comes to his ability to run between the tackles and bounce outside. In his three seasons, he has amassed 3,557 yads rushing with a 5.2 yards per carry average while only breaking the 200-carry mark once in his career. He missed four games in 2020, but his 89 yards rushing per game would have put him over 1,400 yards for the season. Chubb has been selected to the Pro Bowl the last two seasons and that won’t change in 2021 as the Browns look to run this offense through him and his counterpart, Kareem Hunt. Everything starts with their ability to run the football. Is this the year that Nick Chubb leads the NFL in rushing?
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 300 attempts, 1649 yards, 15 touchdowns
Receiving: 32 targets, 22 receptions, 201 yards, 1 touchdown
Total Fantasy Points: 303.1
Kareem Hunt (RB21)
Kareem Hunt literally burst onto the scene during his rookie year in 2017 after being drafted in the third round out of Toledo. In his rookie season with the Chiefs, he finished with 1,782 scrimmage yards with 11 total touchdowns and an average of 5.5 yard per touch making his first and only Pro-Bowl. His sophomore season was limited to only 11 games, but he still finished with 1,202 yards from scrimmage and 14 total touchdowns. His season was cut short after being released by the Chiefs due to legal issues. Prior to the 2019 season, the Cleveland Browns would extend a contract, but he was suspended for the first eight games of the season and underwent hernia surgery, so he only started three games. In 2020, we got to see the full effect of the 1-2 punch in Cleveland that featured both Chubb and Hunt. The latter would finish with 11 total touchdowns and 1,145 total yards. This backfield is very difficult to stop when it gets rolling and takes a lot of pressure off of the quarterback.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 158 attempts, 773 yards, 7 touchdowns
Receiving: 63 targets, 49 receptions, 423 yards, 3 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 228.9
New Toys: N/A
Old News: N/A
Position Fantasy Grade: 2nd/32
WR Room
Odell Beckham Jr (WR30)
Odell Beckham is a tale of two different players over his seven-year career. In his first three years in the NFL with the New York Giants, he averaged 152 targets, 96 receptions, 1,374 yards, and 11.7 touchdowns while being selected to the Pro Bowl three times. In the last four years with the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns, his averages have dipped to 85 targets, 50 receptions, 542 yards, and 4 touchdowns. As you know the best ability is availability, but over the last four years he’s missed 25 games. There is no doubt, from a talent perspective, that he is one of the greatest wide receivers in the game when he plays. He is the field stretcher and a huge asset in the play-action game that allows the offense to really thrive so I’m hopeful we get to see him compete for all 17 games.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 116 targets, 75 receptions, 1068 yards, 9 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 236.0
Jarvis Landry (WR44)
Jarvis Landry is the security blanket in this offense that is very effective in the short and intermediate areas of the field. During his seven years in the league, he’s only missed one game and been selected to five Pro Bowls. He’s built trust with his quarterback and seems to find a way to get open and make plays in third down and critical situations to keep the chains moving. He consistently gives you a safe option week in and week out as a solid WR3 play.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 110 targets, 73 receptions, 911 yards, 5 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 194.0
New Toys: N/A
Old News: N/A
Position Fantasy Grade: 21st/32
TE Room
Austin Hooper (TE22)
Austin Hooper arrived in Cleveland, after four years with the Atlanta Falcons, with big expectations. In his final two years in Atlanta, in a pass heavy offense, he averaged 72.5 receptions, 723.5 yards, and 5 touchdowns while earning two trips to the Pro Bowl. In his lone season in Cleveland, he missed three games and ended the season with 46 receptions for 435 yards and four touchdowns falling well short of expectations. He will also be splitting time with Harrison Bryant and David Njoku so do not expect him to be the same guy he was in Atlanta due to the low passing volume in Cleveland.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 68 targets, 46 receptions, 493 yards, 5 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 125.8
Harrison Bryant (TE22)
Harrison Bryant finished his rookie season with 15 targets over the last three games and finished with a respectable stat line of 24 receptions for 238 yards and 3 touchdowns. There will be plenty of opportunities in 2021 for the second-year player as the Browns lined up in multiple tight end sets at a 49% clip. Don’t expect a big jump in production, but we should see improvement in his second season. If Hooper misses time for any reason, then Bryant becomes the TE1 in this offense.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 47 targets, 31 receptions, 305 yards, 3 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 79.2
Position Fantasy Grade: 13th/32
2021 Full Player Projections
Make Your Own Projections With Our Template!
Strength of Schedule (SOS): #9 (.520 132-122-2)
2021 Predicted Finish: 13-4 (1st AFC North)
Note: all projections are PPR scoring
