The Cleveland Browns are getting Josh Gordon back on the field after Week 11 and fantasy football owners are thrilled about that and until then, the Browns have Terrance West, Ben Tate and Isaiah Crowell as sleepers at the RB position and this comes as Jordan Cameron is out at tight end with a concussion, meaning there are more carries and touches to go around for Brian Hoyer until Week 12 and the WR returns.
The Browns have been one of the surprise teams in football this season and Brian Hoyer has been taking care of the ball and that has helped Tate, West, Isaiah Crowell and Andrew Hawkins put up solid numbers with Josh Gordon out of the lineup. With Gordon returning there will be fewer targets for players like Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel, but it also could open up the offense because defenses will have to cover Gordon. The Browns have plenty of talent and they have been winning without two of their best players in Gordon and Jordan Cameron, who has been in and out of the lineup with injuries.
Gordon would be a huge boost for the Browns after the way they have played, as he led the league in receiving yards last year and set career highs across the board. Gordon can return in Week 12 after the NFL fixed their horrible drug policy and he has the chance to be a game changer for the offense. Last season he played in just 14 games and had a huge impact with 87 catches with 1646 yards and nine touchdowns and while his time will be limited this year, he could help the team make the playoffs.
The Browns have been using Tate, West and Crowell in a rotation for most of the season and while Tate is the starter, West has emerged as a solid fantasy option. Tate had 61 yards and a TD against the Bengals and now he has 342 yards this season in seven games along with four touchdowns. West has had the hot hand lately and he is a solid pickup for fantasy owners in need of some help at the RB position. West had a big game last week with 94 yards and he also made it into the endzone and he was the leader with 26 carries against the Bengals.
The Browns come into this week as the 11th ranked rushing team in the league and West showed last week that he is worth starting, while both Tate and Crowell also have put up solid numbers. Hoyer has not put up huge numbers this season, but getting Gordon back will help that and the team now has a favorable schedule for the next few weeks. The Browns play against the Houston Texans at home and then they will have the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills on the road.
After that the Browns will be tested, as they have the Colts and Bengals, two playoff teams from last season and division winners. The Browns have some solid fantasy options and the offense should only get better once Gordon returns and that could be huge for Brian Hoyer.
