Cleveland Browns Could Have The Worst Fantasy Football Season Ever

Seasonal fantasy football drafts are happening earlier and earlier with every year. Seriously. The first fantasy football invitation I received for the 2015 campaign arrived into my email inbox all the way back during the NCAA Tournament. This additional time has allowed impatient fans and also individuals who occasionally type out words about the National Football League to break down fantasy football prospects team by team, specifically the Cleveland Browns for the purposes of this piece. Some reviews have been prettier than others.

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This will not be one of those.

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There is no point in dancing around the issue. The offense of the Browns could be nothing short of awful during the 2015 NFL regular season. Fans of the so-called “new Browns” have been down this road several times over the past 16 years. They get all excited for the promise of a fresh campaign and an opportunity for the franchise to begin September with a clean slate while at the same time having knowledge that the Browns possess a top-tier defense, only to then get let down whenever the Cleveland offense takes the field.

It has been a wash, rinse repeat cycle, and the “wash” portion is about to resume.

A lot can, of course, occur between now and September 13 and Week 1 of the season. Perhaps a new quarterback, new offensive coordinator, new quarterbacks coach and new offensive system will all of a sudden click during an August preseason game, leading to the Browns becoming one of the positive surprise stories of the season. Maybe fans will be on the verge of seeing the best overall Browns offense since the team was reintroduced to the NFL in 1999, one that lights up your fantasy football scoreboards every week.

Maybe Santa will bring you a sack filled with gold and money for Christmas in July.

Fantasy football projections for the 2015 NFL season have been out for some time, and the forecasts regarding offensive players of the Browns is rather bleak. Say, for example, that you find yourself in a standard league with 8-10 owners that has the following starting lineups: 1 quarterback, 2 running backs, 3 wide receivers, 1 tight end, 1 kicker and 1 DEF/ST.

Those of you who are having a fantasy football draft at any point this month should not only be considering passing on Browns players as starters. You may, depending on your position in the draft and the amount of owners in the league, find that even drafting a Cleveland player could be unnecessary and a waste of a roster spot.

Quarterback

Journeyman veteran quarterback Josh McCown was a potential fantasy football savior and a tremendous spot-starter in a pinch; for a portion of time in 2013. McCown’s overall body of work reads like a definition of fantasy “sad stats” that would make him a candidate to not be selected even if everybody in your league used the auto-draft feature.

The 36-year old has never averaged even 1.5 touchdowns per game in seasons during which he has had over ten appearances. He has routinely come close to averaging as many interceptions (59) as touchdowns thrown (61) during his career. The updated CBS Sports fantasy football rankings have McCown as the absolute worst fantasy football option at the position.

Advice: Nope. Don’t even think about it. At all.

Running Back

This is one of those times where somebody could summarize an entire section with the ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ emoticon often seen on social media websites such as Twitter. There is promise to the had for Browns running backs in fantasy football for several reasons. Cleveland is set to have what is being advertised as one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and both Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell flashed brilliance in their debut seasons.

Both were also dropped in the depth chart multiple times during the campaign, and West found himself in the doghouse of the coaching staff on several occasions. There is now speculation that Duke Johnson, drafted in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Browns, could leapfrog ahead of West and Crowell in the pecking order by the time the preseason concludes.

Advice: All emoticon jokes aside, you are taking a chance by drafting any of the three Browns running backs mentioned.

Wide Receiver

Are you a fantasy football owner who loves to stash second-rate options at the wide receiver position? If so, the 2015 Browns are for you! Dwayne Bowe, who may be tasked with being the No. 1 wide receiver for the Browns, has not posted double-digit touchdown receptions since 2010, and he did not find the end zone a single time last season.

Brian Hartline will not have the cover of playing alongside a dynamic play-maker such as Mike Wallace in 2015, and he has averaged two touchdown catches per season throughout his NFL career. Andrew Hawkins could possibly be a fun slot receiver for fantasy football purposes. He is also an individual who has never played a full 16 games in any season.

Advice: Wes Welker doesn’t seem like all that bad of an option now, does he?

Tight End

Somebody out there will try to convince you that Gary Barnidge has arguably the best hands on the Browns. That is a nice tidbit. What is not nice is that Barnidge has scored all of three receiving touchdowns since he entered the NFL all the way back in 2008. Jim Dray, Rob Housler and Randall Telfer may not actually be draftable players depending on your fantasy football league.

Advice: Don’t be silly

Kicker

Carey Spear and Travis Coons.

Advice: You’re kidding, right?

Defense

Football experts have gushed over what should be an impressive Cleveland defense. One problem: The defense could be on the field for well over a half-hour a game if the offense of the Browns is unable to produce anything of merit. That type of pressure weighs down on even the most talented of units, and the additional playing time increases the odds that a key contributor will go down to a serious injury at some point.

In short: The 2015 Browns could statistically produce one of the worst fantasy football seasons from an actual team in decades if not ever.

Advice: There are better options in ten-team leagues.