Raiders vs Browns NFL Week Three Fantasy Outlook

By Matt Loede

After a 28-14 win over the Titans Sunday at First Energy Stadium, the Browns tomorrow will look to get to 2-1 as they battle the Raiders with a 1pm kickoff.

Josh McCown will be back under center for the Browns after missing last week, and it will be interesting to see how he bounces back in tomorrow’s matchup against Oakland.

Today we will give some predictions for those playing daily fantasy games, or even if you’re in a league in which you have one of these players and are debating playing them.

Here’s a quick breakdown for the key skill players for the Browns tomorrow and how we see it playing out:

Browns

QB Josh McCown – I’m not in anyway a fan of QB’s coming off concussions and having big weeks right away, but if there’s a team McCown could have success against, it’s the Raiders. For two weeks at home Andy Dalton and Joe Flacco have had big days against the Raiders secondary, and while it may start slow, look for McCown to have a solid day and be an interesting option for those that play DraftKings and Fan Duel.

Outlook: 235 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, 15 yards rushing

RB Isaiah Crowell – A great rebound day last week for Isaiah, who bounced back from his awful week one outing against the Jets. Again, the Raiders defense has allowed a lot of yards in the first two weeks, and if Crowell can duplicate the effort he showed a week ago, there’s not thinking he won’t have over 100 yards rushing and another 20-30 receiving for the Browns Sunday.

Outlook: 110 yards, 25 yards receiving

RB Duke Johnson Jr. – Also showed great effort on the ground last week, and like Crowell should have another chance to carry the ball 8-10 times against the Raiders. Still having some issues when it comes to turning the corner, but it seems like he’s close to breaking a big play at some point, and that easily could come vs the Raiders.

Outlook: 60 yards rushing

WR Brian Hartline – The WR core as a whole is going to be interesting to watch with the return of McCown, and Hartline I think will benefit from him being back. Johnny Manziel seemed to favor Travis Benjamin the first two weeks, but I would bet that Hartline will get more chances and have more of an impact with McCown back under center.

Outlook: 70 yards receiving 1 TD

WR Andrew Hawkins – Much like with Hartline, I think Hawkins will also get more looks with McCown back Sunday. This isn’t to say 100 yards and a score, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see McCown look his way more than Manziel did.

Outlook: 45 yards receiving

WR Travis Benjamin – This will be the more watched player of the day on the Browns, as after a monster day a week ago Benjamin isn’t going to surprise anyone Sunday with his speed and big-play ability. The big question mark will be how much activity will he get now that the guy that threw him 3 TD’s in two weeks is back on the bench. In other words, proceed with caution when it comes to Benjamin on Sunday

Outlook: 35 yards receiving

TE Gary Barnidge – I liked the way the Browns seem to not be afraid to involve him, and while he had just one catch for 17 yards last week, I think he’ll do morel like in week one when he had 38 yards receiving. I also think he catches a TD in the game.

Outlook: 40 yards receiving 1 Touchdown

K Travis Coons – Still hasn’t been called upon to do much, just one field goal in two games with five extra points. Until he gets a shot at multiple field goals, he’s not an option at the kicker spot in any fantasy leagues.

Outlook: 1 field goals 2 extra point