Fantasy Football Week 6 Reax: Ben Tate, Isaiah Crowell

The Cleveland Browns extracted some sweet revenge on the rival Pittsburgh Steelers this afternoon by running all over the beat-down Steelers defense in a 31-10 victory. Brian Hoyer needed to attempt just 17 passes, as Ben Tate and Isaiah Crowell combined for 36 carries, forming a two-headed beast that piled up over 150 yards of rushing to help push the Browns over the top in this AFC North duel. Rookie Terrance West has showed up well this season and was a favorite of the coaching staff’s during the offseason, but he was a surprising healthy scratch today, affording Tate and Crowell more carries. Neither player disappointed, though I have a feeling the three-headed beast’s days aren’t over.

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In any case, Tate was the workhorse for a second straight week, and he’s been used frequently following the injury. Last week, he battered the Tennessee Titans with 124 rushing yards on 22 carries. He wasn’t as efficient today with just 78 yards on 25 carries, but Tate had an even better fantasy output thanks to the two touchdowns he scored. Note that he scored more than Crowell, who had a five-yard rush, because he punched in a goal-line carry, which is probably worth noting.

Crowell has been very efficient this season, and his average of seven yards per carry looks even more impressive if you contextualize it. Even though he received 14 fewer carries than Tate, he only had one less yard than the former Houston Texans No. 2 back. Crowell has averaged 4.8 yards per carry so far this year, and he has four touchdowns.

Tate is obviously the best player to own on the Browns right now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Crowell ends up being the better option from here-on-out. It’s a huge gamble to try and bank on Crowell instead, but he has more raw talent to make up for his lack of experience, and Tate has injury concerns (I mean, he’s already been out once this year). I think this is a situation worth monitoring closely (if you weren’t doing so already), especially since it will be interesting to see how healthy-scratch West fits in going forward.

One thing that will hurt every Browns running back is the loss of Alex Mack, who was carted off quickly and had his left leg placed in an air cast. Mack could be out for the season, but it is clear that he’s going to be on the shelf for quite some time. The Browns have plenty of good blockers like excellent rookie Joel Bitonio, but Mack is most likely the best center in the game; his loss will definitely hurt guys like Tate and Crowell.

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