Week 4 Fantasy Football preview: Ravens vs. Browns
By Mike Reid
It’s Fantasy Football time. Here is the fantasy preview of the Ravens and the Browns this week:
*For this post I used ESPN’s Fantasy Football projections
Week 4 of the season already fantasy footballs fans, time is flying by! This is a must-win game for some fantasy football owners. Others look to stay hot and cement themselves as a team to be reckoned with this season. I’m here to help you out in any situation, now lets preview this divisional clash between the Ravens and Browns.
Looking at this match-up from a fantasy perspective is very interesting. It was the Browns who had all the hype this off-season. They added superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to go along with Jarvis Landry and Nick Chubb. Also, their quarterback Baker Mayfield was looked at like he was becoming the next great young gunslinger in the NFL. All four of those Browns players were drafted very high in fantasy drafts, while Ravens players were not highly targeted. However, through three weeks, it has been Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense that has been tops in the league and the Browns have really struggled to meet expectations out the gate.
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Right now the Ravens big four on offense, Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram, Marquise Brown, and Mark Andrews are must-starts at their respective positions. The only must-start players on the Browns right now are Nick Chubb and Beckham Jr. Wide receiver Jarvis Landry hasn’t been very fantasy relevant though, but he is still getting a nice target share which makes him a low-end flex play if you are desperate. Baker Mayfield has been very underwhelming for fantasy, as he ranks 25th among QB’s on ESPN. Going against an angry Ravens defense in Baltimore, I think Mayfield is a must-sit this game.
So with the starts and sits already in place. I’ll try an predict who has better games between the Ravens and Browns running backs & pass catchers.
Mark Ingram vs. Nick Chubb
ESPN (.5 PPR) projections: Ingram (13.8) Chubb (14.6)
This Ravens and Browns game will feature two of the best fantasy running backs in the league right now. Ingram has been an absolute force for fantasy so far as he ranks fourth among running backs in .5 PPR leagues, averaging 21.6 fantasy points per game. A big chunk of that is through his touchdowns, as Ingram leads the league with five. On the other side Nick Chubb hasn’t lived up to his high draft cost yet. But Chubb still has been a solid play each week as he ranks 12th among running backs, averaging 14.2 fantasy points per game.
Chubb has received plenty of volume though, he has at least 20 touches in all three games so far. For this game however, I like Ingram getting the higher fantasy point total. The Ravens rushing attack has been on fire and I expect the Ravens to be winning in the second half, so Ingram will look to ground out a win. I look for Ingram to stay hot and get into the end zone again this week.
Edge: Mark Ingram
Marquise Brown & Mark Andrews vs. Odell Beckham Jr & Jarvis Landry
ESPN (.5 PPR) projections: Brown (10.7) Andrews (10) Beckham Jr (14.5) Landry (9.2)
On paper the Browns look like they have the clear advantage of passer catchers between these four players. However, through three weeks Hollywood Brown and Mark Andrews have the one of the best pass catching duos in the NFL. Brown ranks as the WR12 and Andrews has been the TE2, combined they average 30.7 fantasy points per game. On the flip side, Beckham Jr. and Landry are the WR17 and WR58 respectively, only combing for 22 fantasy points per game. For this game I expect all 4 players will have a solid fantasy days.
Next. 3 trades for the secondary that would make sense. dark
I am going to give the advantage to the Browns duo however. Even with shutdown corner Marlon Humphrey and Earl Thomas over the top, I just have a feeling Beckham Jr. is due for a big game. We saw last week this secondary is beatable by the big play and there isn’t a wide receiver in the league better than Beckham Jr. at hitting on a big play.