Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots: Who to Start in Fantasy

Browns will need a big time effort to have a chance this week against the Patriots, this one could have big time fantasy football implications.

The Cleveland Browns are fresh off of a bye week, but face their toughest test. The juggernaut known as the New England Patriots are undefeated and at home against the Cleveland Browns.

The bye week could come with offensive changes, but those won't be known until those players are between those white lines. It will be interesting to see how Freddie Kitchens and his Browns can matchup against Tom Brady and the Patriots.

First off for the Browns, they’re in for a gauntlet of a test in the Bill Belichick coached Patriots. A coach that is known for scheming to take stars out of the game, it could be tough going for Odell Beckham Jr. on Sunday. Odell is an early round pick that is a must start every week, but don’t expect a ton of production out of him.

For Cleveland, there is just one player that is a safe pick to start and has been all along.

Nick Chubb - Nick Chubb has become one of the top running backs in the entire National Football League. He might not have been your first round pick, but he’s still giving first round numbers in terms of fantasy football.

Two weeks ago against the Seahawks was a big outing for Nick Chubb. Going for 28.9 fantasy points thanks to 139 total yards and two touchdowns. This coming week. Chubb is projected to go for 16.9 points, a solid number considering the opponent he and the Browns are going up against.

The Patriots defense hasn’t allowed much this year in terms of defense. Just one player has been able to go over 100 yards against New England and that was Frank Gore in week four. It’s safe to say a lot of Chubb’s fantasy points could come off of screens and dump offs, but the Browns know they must have a stable run game to have a chance against the best.

For the Patriots, their offense has been able to find a way majority of the time and they have multiple go to players. Mohamed Sanu is a player to think about starting, but hasn’t had much practice time with his new team. So, it's not recommended unless it’s absolutely necessary for your given team.

Tom Brady - Tom Brady is a quarterback that you can start week in and week out, easy pick here. The greatest quarterback of this generation and maybe ever has only scored under 20 points in fantasy football twice this year, once was because it was a blowout win.

Brady has things working with his favorite target Julian Edelman and has a couple running backs to carry the load still, per usual. New England recently obtained Mohamed Sanu from the Atlanta Falcons, which gives him another target that could fare well for their offense. Gone is Josh Gordon to the injured reserve.

Tom Brady has played the Browns six times in his career so far, going 5-1 over that span. His only loss was in 2010, oddly a season that Patriots only lost two games, one to Cleveland. Sunday will be the seventh meeting between number twelve and the Browns.

Projected to go for 17.8 points, which would be his third lowest outing on the season. Definitely expect more from Brady potentially, as the Browns are just now getting their secondary back and their starting free safeyy Damarious Randall could be out.

James White - James White is a Swiss Army knife for the New England Patriots offense, a running back that can do a little bit of everything. When it comes to White in fantasy, you it's about consistency.

Consistent is exactly what he has been. Double digits in terms of fantasy football points every week this season so far, White has been a gamer. The cool thing about it is that on the season he has less than 70 total yards rushing.

A big option for Brady on third down, the Patriot back has nearly 40 catches on the season where he is most dangerous. An extra receiver out of the backfield, White is a real matchup problem for most defenses.

James White is primed for 14.4 points on Sunday, which would be a solid amount for a second running back or flex position. If he can beat Browns linebackers on a regular basis, expect that number to be much higher.

Sony Michel - The go to guy in the red zone is Sony Michel for the New England Patriots. Six touchdowns on the season so far and three of them coming last week in a blowout win over the New York Jets.

Sony Michel is the former teammate of Nick Chubb at Georgia where they were a dynamic duo. Chubb has had the better pro career so far, but Michel has been solid in his own right and it has translated to fantasy sports and a Super Bowl ring.

The first four weeks of the year Michel didn’t have a reception, but the Patriots seem to be adding him into the receiving game. Which, makes it that much tougher as they have multiple backs that can do so. Something to definitely watch for on Sunday.

Michel is tabbed for 13.9 fantasy points, and will be a point of importance for the Patriots to wear down the Browns offense. Don’t be surprised to see a lot of carries for the second year back, as well as in the red zone. 

All fantasy stats and numbers are from the ESPN Fantasy Sports app.