2022 Cleveland Browns Odds, Schedule, & Fantasy Football Team Preview
The 2022 NFL season is right around the corner! We continue our look at every NFL team with the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland was one of the bigger disappointments of the 2021 season, rolling into the year with strong playoff aspirations only to finish with a disappointing 8-9 record. Changes are afoot this year with a new quarterback at the helm and Baker Mayfield out of the picture. It will likely be a very interesting season in Cleveland! Let’s take a look at a fantasy and betting preview for the Browns.
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2022 Cleveland Browns Schedule, Lines, and Best Bets
Projected Odds, derived & modified from data originally published by Sean Koerner here.
Win Total and Total Games Favored:
OFF / 12 Games Favored ( 3 Big Favorites / 0 Big Dogs)
It is difficult to find betting numbers for the Browns right now given that we do not know the status of Deshaun Watson. Quarterback play is obviously extremely important in the NFL, and it’s difficult to peg this team until we know how that will shake out with his legal proceedings.
They are listed in a few spots at +300 to win the AFC North, but we can’t realistically bet that with any sort of confidence. Even with Watson, those odds feel about right. Keep a close eye on the happenings with Watson. If he ends up being suspended for the year, I’ll take any favorable “under” bets that I can get with this team.
Favorite Bet – N/A for now
Cleveland Browns Props
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Favorite Prop: Amari Cooper OVER 70.5 receptions
There is obviously risk banking on Cooper because we do not know who will be throwing him the ball. However, he is going to be the WR1 by a wide margin on this team. His competition consists of the ever frustrating Donovan Peoples-Jones and rookie David Bell. Bell has a ton of talent and was great in college, but he’s not Amari Cooper (yet). If Cooper stays healthy, he only needs to average 4.2 catches per game to go over this number. That should be an easy task regardless of who is throwing him the football.
Cleveland Browns Fantasy Football Projections
Team Rankings and Ratings
Offense Ranks:Rank 14/ Elite Rush / Average Pass/ Rank 11 Points For)
Defense Ranks:Rank 7/ Below Average Rush / Very Strong pass / Rank 27 Points Allowed)
Opponent Strength – Rushing:7 difficult vs. rush. 4 soft vs. rush.
Opponent Strength – Passing:8 difficult vs. pass. 3 soft vs. pass.
The Browns play in a division that should have strong defenses this year. Expect the Ravens to be much improved after being ravaged by injury a year ago. The Bengals have obviously ascended, and the Steelers’ defense remains the team’s biggest strength. Non-conference matchups also provide some difficult matchups this year.
The team’s strength will remain with its running game, but teams will sell out to stop that if Watson is not allowed to play. In general, I will be lower on this Cleveland team than I have been over the last two years, particularly in season long formats where drafts are being done right now. There’s simply too much downside risk at the moment.
Cleveland Browns Top Fantasy Football Plays & Picks
Noteworthy Depth Chart
QB: Deshaun Watson – Underdog Rank: 240 (ADP 203 / -15.42% ADP Gap)
RB: Nick Chubb – Underdog Rank: 19 (ADP 25 / 31.58% ADP Gap)
RB: Kareem Hunt – Underdog Rank: 90 (ADP 94 / 4.44% ADP Gap)
WR: Amari Cooper – Underdog Rank: 50 (ADP 67 / 34% ADP Gap)
WR: David Bell – Underdog Rank: 186 (ADP 196 / 5.38% ADP Gap)
WR: Donovan Peoples-Jones – Underdog Rank: 187 (ADP 227 – 21.39% ADP Gap)
TE: David Njoku – Underdog Rank: 144 (ADP 173 / 20.14% ADP Gap)
*Note: Premium Subscribers can find updated rankings for Underdog Fantasy in the content schedule here.
New Additions of Note: Deshaun Watson, QB // Amari Cooper, WR
Departures of Note: Baker Mayfield, QB // Austin Hooper, TE // Jarvis Landry, WR
There were obviously some changes in Cleveland this offseason, with the addition of Watson and the departure of Mayfield obviously garnering the most headlines. If he is allowed to play, we could see Watson and Amari Cooper flourish in their new uniforms, as Cooper will be the clear WR1 in this offense. Until we get clarity on that, however, it’s tough to peg the production.
With the release of Austin Hooper, it also appears that the Browns will give David Njoku a chance to finally have a breakout season. Fantasy players have been enamored with his talent for a few years, but he rarely got the opportunity to shine given the team’s depth chart. Again, QB play has to be monitored, but Njoku is absolutely on the fantasy radar.
Of course, the safest options in this offense are the running backs. Nick Chubb was second in the league with 1,259 rushing yards a year ago, while Kareem Hunt excels in a pass catching role. When both are healthy, they do limit each other’s upside, but both are an injury away from potential fantasy dominance.
Image Credit: Imagn