Cleveland re-defines fantasy wasteland without Terrelle Pryor
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Here are the Cleveland-specific fantasy ramifications following the news that WR Terrelle Pryor Sr. is heading to Washington on a one-year deal. An assessment of Pryor's fantasy prospects can be found here.
Washington giving WR Terrelle Pryor a one-year, $8 million deal, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2017
The Browns offense won't go completely undrafted in standard fantasy leagues this year, but they'll be darn close. Without Pryor, their depth chart currently projects to look something like this:
| POS | PLAYER | |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Brock Osweiler | Cody Kessler |
| WR | Corey Coleman | Ricardo Louis |
| RB | Isaiah Crowell | Duke Johnson |
| TE | Gary Barnidge | Seth Devalve |
The next question now becomes what will the Browns do with Osweiler. The options of cutting, trading, or playing him for the 2017-18 season all remain on the table. Either way, the fantasy projections for the associated receivers, running backs, and tight ends remain extremely bleak.
Without Pryor, Coleman will move into the WR1 role and compete with Barnidge to be the top receiving threat. Many fantasy owners know these two names, but no one will be itching to select them on draft day.
Coleman, who is entering his sophomore season, posted a receiving line of 33-413-3 last season. Assuming a WR1 workload, a 600-to-700 yard, six-touchdown campaign should be on tap. Those numbers won't be a by-product of his talent or Cleveland's system, but rather of the volume now placed upon his shoulders. He'll be no more than a WR3/4 in fantasy circles.
There will be some merit in targeting Coleman in the closing rounds because of this role, but drafters mustn't go reaching for him. Though Pryor eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark last year, expecting a 5-foot-11 sophomore to double his 2016-17 production with Osweiler at the helm seems unlikely. WR DeAndre Hopkins mustered just 954 yards and four scores last year, after all.
Barnidge's fantasy appeal remains subdued
Because of the scarcity at tight end, Barnidge won't be completely wiped off draft boards. After a 1,043-yard, nine-touchdown season in 2015-16, Barnidge's production nosedived last year to the tune of 612 yards and two scores.
The biggest reason for optimism would come in the red zone. Barnidge towers over Coleman in terms of size and should be Cleveland's top red-zone threat. A receiving line of 700 yards and six scores could be in play.
For the upcoming season, Barnidge is likely to go undrafted in many leagues. Consider him no more than a matchup-based flier.
The running game impact, if any
The Cleveland running game should remain volatile as game scripts will almost always work against them. The loss of Pryor may place a larger onus on Crowell and Johnson to be productive, but it doesn't do enough to change their fantasy stock.
Outside of Coleman and Barnidge, there isn't much to discuss. WRs Ricardo Louis and Mario Alford garner no consideration in any league.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)