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David Njoku David Njoku Cleared to play Thursday
Wed, Nov 20, 2024, 1:00 PM
Njoku (knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Thursday's game against the Steelers, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: The Browns listed Njoku as a full practice participant Wednesday, so he should be ready to handle his usual role Thursday. As productive as he's been since Jameis Winston took over as the Browns' starting quarterback beginning in Week 8, Njoku faces a couple of relevant obstacles Week 12. Not only will be taking aim at a tough Pittsburgh defense, but the forecast in Cleveland on Thursday night is calling for cold, windy and wet conditions. |
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Elijah Moore Elijah Moore No injury designation
Wed, Nov 20, 2024, 12:56 PM
Moore (shoulder) doesn't have an injury designation for Thursday's game against the Steelers, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Moore came out of Sunday's loss at New Orleans with a shoulder injury that was apparently minor. His volume and production both have spiked since Jameis Winston took over as Cleveland's starting quarterback beginning in Week 8, but Moore's fantasy outlook for Week 12 is subdued by a matchup with Pittsburgh's excellent defense as well as forecasts of poor weather in Cleveland on Thursday. |
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Jameis Winston Jameis Winston Could be affected by weather Thursday
Wed, Nov 20, 2024, 5:49 AM
Winston's pass attempts could be scaled back in Thursday's game against the Steelers with high winds and rain and/or snow in the forecast for Cleveland, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Winston attempted at least 41 passes in his first three starts since taking over for the injured Deshaun Watson (Achilles), with Winston dropping back on more than two-thirds of Cleveland's offensive plays. Thanks to the heavy volume, Winston accrued 395 passing yards and two touchdowns in this past Sunday's 35-14 loss to the Saints, but the unfavorable weather forecast for the Week 12 game could prompt the Browns to lean more heavily on their Nick Chubb-led ground attack. |
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Nick Chubb Nick Chubb Low usage was planned for Week 11
Wed, Nov 20, 2024, 5:31 AM
Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that having Chubb play 22 snaps in this past Sunday's 35-14 loss to the Saints was planned with the Browns facing a quick turnaround for Week 12 with a Thursday night matchup with the Steelers, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: The snap count against the Saints was the lowest since Chubb made his season debut Week 7, and his 11 carries matched a season-low total. The running back had his best showing from an efficiency standpoint this past week, averaging 4.5 yards per carry after posting a 2.7 YPC mark in his first three games back from injury. With a high chance of either rain or snow for Thursday's game, the Browns could rely more heavily on Chubb coming off his light workload in Week 11. |
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Elijah Moore Elijah Moore Stays limited on practice report
Tue, Nov 19, 2024, 3:40 PM
The Browns listed Moore (shoulder) as a limited practice participant Tuesday.
Analysis: Moore has now gone down as a limited participant on the Browns' first two Week 12 injury reports, but the team hasn't yet suggested that he's in any danger of missing Thursday's game against the Steelers. The fourth-year wideout has enjoyed his best run of production of the season since Jameis Winston took over as the starting quarterback, recording 17 receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown on 29 targets over the past three contests. |
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David Njoku David Njoku Maintains limited practice activity
Tue, Nov 19, 2024, 3:37 PM
The Browns listed Njoku (knee) as a limited practice participant Tuesday.
Analysis: With limited listings on the Browns' first two Week 12 injury reports, Njoku may need to upgrade to full participation Wednesday in order to avoid carrying a questionable tag into Thursday's game against the Steelers. Either way, the Browns haven't suggested that Njoku is any real danger of sitting out against Pittsburgh. |
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Elijah Moore Elijah Moore Appears on Week 12 injury report
Mon, Nov 18, 2024, 4:14 PM
The Browns listed Moore as a limited participant on Monday's estimated practice report due to a shoulder injury, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Analysis: Cleveland didn't hold a practice session one day after Sunday's 35-14 loss to New Orleans, but Moore would have had his reps capped had the Browns taken the field. The Browns aren't likely to hold anything more than walk-through sessions or light practices Tuesday and Wednesday, but assuming Moore is listed as either a limited or full participant on those days, he should be ready to play in Thursday's game against the Steelers. In the three games since Jameis Winston has taken over for Deshaun Watson (Achilles) as the Browns' starting quarterback, Moore has produced a 17-179-1 receiving line on 29 targets, with his yardage total exceeding his combined output (136 yards) from Cleveland's first seven games of the season. |
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David Njoku David Njoku Listed as limited on practice report
Mon, Nov 18, 2024, 4:11 PM
The Browns listed Njoku as a limited participant on Monday's estimated practice report due to a knee injury, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Analysis: Cleveland didn't hold a practice session one day after Sunday's 35-14 loss to New Orleans, but Njoku would have had his reps capped had the Browns taken the field. The Browns aren't likely to hold anything more than walk-through sessions or light practices Tuesday and Wednesday, but assuming Njoku is listed as either a limited or full participant on those days, he should be ready to play in Thursday's game against the Steelers. In the three games since Jameis Winston has taken over for Deshaun Watson (Achilles) as the Browns' starting quarterback, Njoku has strung together a 19-171-1 receiving line on 23 targets. |
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Geoff Swaim Geoff Swaim Out for Week 12 with concussion
Mon, Nov 18, 2024, 12:32 PM
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Swaim has entered concussion protocol and won't play Thursday against the Steelers, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.
Analysis: Swaim presumably suffered the concussion at some point during the Browns' 35-14 loss to the Saints on Sunday, when he went without a target across nine snaps on offense in addition to playing 13 snaps on special teams. With the Browns facing a quick turnaround for their Week 12 game, it's no surprise that Swaim is already being ruled out from clearing the five-step protocol in time to suit up versus Pittsburgh. |
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Kadarius Toney Kadarius Toney One touch in loss
Sun, Nov 17, 2024, 8:53 PM
Toney had one carry for minus-7 yards in Sunday's 35-14 loss to New Orleans in Week 11.
Analysis: Toney was elevated from the practice squad for the game and was never expected to see much use. The fifth-year wideout went untargeted on a day when Cleveland threw the ball a season-high 47 times. Toney took the roster spot that had been going to Jaelon Darden, who was a healthy inactive. |
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Dorian Thompson-Robinson Dorian Thompson-Robinson Mops up blowout loss
Sun, Nov 17, 2024, 7:50 PM
Thompson-Robinson went 0-for-1 in Sunday's 35-14 loss to New Orleans in Week 11.
Analysis: Thompson-Robinson entered the game for Cleveland's final drive, which was a three-and-out with an incomplete pass and two runs. Starter Jameis Winston threw for 395 yards and woke up a dormant passing offense for the second time in three weeks. That suggests Winston will stay on as the starter for now, but the organization may want to get a fuller look at Thompson-Robinson before this disappointing season ends. |
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Jordan Akins Jordan Akins Four targets in loss
Sun, Nov 17, 2024, 7:37 PM
Akins caught one of four targets for 19 yards in Sunday's 35-14 loss to the Saints in Week 11.
Analysis: Akins was caught up in an offense that finished with 47 passing attempts. It was the third consecutive week the Browns have aired it out more than 40 times and the second straight week with four targets for Akins, who has four red-zone targets this season. He's not about to challenge the team's top targets, but all that volume could lead to a red-zone score. |
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Pierre Strong Pierre Strong Two touches in loss
Sun, Nov 17, 2024, 7:26 PM
Strong had two carries for five yards in Sunday's 35-14 loss to New Orleans in Week 11.
Analysis: Strong was given garbage-time work, getting both touches on the team's final drive. He's had pockets of high usage this season, when filling in for the injured Nick Chubb or Jerome Ford, but both of them are back. Strong has just seven touches over the last three weeks. |
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Jerome Ford Jerome Ford Nine touches in loss
Sun, Nov 17, 2024, 7:14 PM
Ford rushed five times for 10 yards and caught all four targets for 29 yards in Sunday's 35-14 loss to the Saints in Week 11. He also returned two kickoffs for 37 yards.
Analysis: Ford was given more opportunities in his second game back from a hamstring injury that cost him two games. He went from three touches to nine, two shy of starter Nick Chubb, and was involved in a productive Cleveland offense that gained a season-high 443 yards. Obviously, the season's gone sideways for a team that held playoff aspirations. The 2-8 Browns face an uncertain future and roster questions abound, including at running back. Chubb is on a one-year deal and coming back from a serious knee injury, while Ford is signed through the end of 2025. |
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Cedric Tillman Cedric Tillman Notches three catches in Week 11
Sun, Nov 17, 2024, 6:50 PM
Tillman gathered in three of eight targets for 47 yards during Sunday's 35-14 loss at New Orleans.
Analysis: Prior to the Browns' Week 10 bye, Tillman surpassed 75 receiving yards in three straight games en route to a cumulative 21-255-3 line on 32 targets. The volume still was there for the second-year receiver as QB Jameis Winston aired it out 46 times, but Jerry Jeudy (6-142-1 on 11 targets), David Njoku (9-81-0 on nine targets) and Elijah Moore (6-66-1 on eight targets) were the main beneficiaries this time around. Cleveland has a quick turnaround Thursday against a tough Steelers defense, so Tillman may have his work cut out for him to produce in Week 12. |
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David Njoku David Njoku Nine grabs in Sunday's loss
Sun, Nov 17, 2024, 5:09 PM
Njoku caught all nine of his targets for 81 yards in Sunday's 35-14 loss to the Saints.
Analysis: The tight end led the Browns in receptions, and Njoku has caught at least five passes in all three games that Jameis Winston has started for Cleveland. He's amassed a 19-171-1 line on 23 targets over that stretch, and the team's closing schedule is a promising one for TE production. Njoku will look to keep rolling in Week 12 against a Steelers defense that just allowed the duo of Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews to combine for six catches and 97 yards against it. |
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Elijah Moore Elijah Moore Finds end zone in New Orleans
Sun, Nov 17, 2024, 5:05 PM
Moore caught six of eight targets for 66 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 35-14 loss to the Saints,
Analysis: The fourth-year wideout was on the other end of a 30-yard Jameis Winston TD in the third quarter, giving Moore his first score of the season. In three games with Winston as the Browns' starting QB, Moore has racked up a 17-179-1 line on 29 targets, giving him intriguing upside for the rest of 2024. He faces a tougher matchup in Week 12 against the Steelers, however. |
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Jerry Jeudy Jerry Jeudy Breaks out in Week 11 loss
Sun, Nov 17, 2024, 4:54 PM
Jeudy caught six of 11 targets for 142 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 35-14 loss to the Saints.
Analysis: The former Bronco was Jameis Winston's top downfield option, and most of Jeudy's production came on an 89-yard score in the first quarter. It's only the wideout's second TD of the year and his first since Cleveland's season opener, but if Winston -- who threw for 395 yards Sunday -- is regaining the form that saw him lead the league in passing yards in 2019, Jeudy figures to be in line for a big finish to the campaign. The Browns' aerial attack will face a tougher test in Week 12 against the Steelers. |
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Nick Chubb Nick Chubb Modest numbers again in Week 11
Sun, Nov 17, 2024, 4:50 PM
Chubb carried the ball 11 times for 50 yards in Sunday's 35-14 loss to the Saints.
Analysis: The game didn't get away from the Browns until the fourth quarter, but Chubb still failed to get a big workload, even coming off a bye and facing what has been a vulnerable New Orleans run defense this season. Cleveland may simply no longer view Chubb as a viable bell cow after last year's serious knee injury, so while he should remain at the top of the depth chart ahead of the likes of Jerome Ford, his days of seeing 20-plus touches on a consistent basis may be over. Chubb isn't likely to break out in Week 12 against the Steelers, a team he's only scored two rushing touchdowns against in 10 career meetings. |
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Jameis Winston Jameis Winston Fires up nearly 400 yards in loss
Sun, Nov 17, 2024, 4:41 PM
Winston completed 30 of 46 passes for 395 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 35-14 loss to the Saints. He added eight rushing yards on his only carry.
Analysis: The veteran quarterback put together his best performance since taking over the Browns' starting job, but it went for naught as the Cleveland run defense couldn't figure out how to stop Taysom Hill. Winston found Jerry Jeudy for an 89-yard catch-and-run score late in the first quarter before hitting Elijah Moore for a 30-yard TD in the third, and his 395 yards were his highest single-game total since the 2019 season, when he reached 400 yards on three separate occasions en route to the league passing yards crown. There was some question whether Winston would keep the starting gig after getting picked off three times by the Chargers in Week 9, but there should be no such discussion heading into a Week 12 clash with the Steelers. |
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