DRBR: Cleveland Browns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6LpNeUw9_o

If Jerome Ford didn't get his chance last season, he's certainly not going to get it this year. And heading into 2024, he looked to be the starter until whenever Nick Chubb returned. And then even after that, hopefully have a big enough size of the running back touches that we could still continue to play him. But I don't know if he was fantasy viable at any point last season.

Jerome Ford played in 14 games last year and only had 104 carries. Nick Chubb played in eight games last season and had 102 carries. Jerome Ford just was never the guy. The worst part about this — Jerome Ford averaged 5.4 yards per attempt last season. Nick Chubb only averaged 3.3. D’Onta Foreman, who got 71 carries, also averaged 3.3.

Jerome Ford was clearly the better running back last season, and the DRBR even shows us that. Now, Nick Chubb doesn't show up here because he's with the Houston segment now — you'll find more about him over there. But Jerome Ford — tackles avoided per attempt — scored 88 last year. That number was good enough for eighth among running backs with over 100 touches on the ground.

But now you've got newly drafted Quinshon Judkins, who's a beast in his own right and who's going to be the starter in Cleveland. And if Jerome Ford cannot get fantasy viable touches with a Nick Chubb coming back from a disastrous knee injury, D’Onta Foreman, and guys like Pierre Strong, then I'm sorry. He's just not going to get enough touches to be any type of fantasy-relevant starter with Judkins being the main guy there.

The one thing that we'll be looking at for Jerome Ford is a potential waiver-wire acquisition if, for some reason, Judkins goes down.