The Cleveland Browns have been one of the surprise teams in the NFL this season and they could be even better once Josh Gordon returns after Week 11 and that will give Brian Hoyer another weapon, while fantasy football owners should look at Terrance West, Ben Tate and Andrew Hawkins as options with Jordan Cameron out with a concussion.
The Browns are right in the playoff race and they have a real shot to win the AFC North and that would be their first playoff appearance in years. Hoyer has played very well and coming into this week, West looks like the RB option with the highest upside over Tate and Isaiah Crowell. Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel have stepped up in recent weeks and now that Gordon is coming back, the offense could be even better.
Gordon is set to return from his suspension in Week 12 and that will be a huge boost to the Browns, as they are leading the AFC North and are right in the middle of the pack in passing yards per game. The team would love to have Gordon in the offense, as they are already playing without Jordan Cameron, who is dealing with a concussion. Gordon led the league in receiving yards last season with over 1600 and that was only in 14 games and now he will get the chance to come back after basically missing the entire year for a drug suspension.
The Browns offense actually has a lot of talent and three headed monster at RB has given Shanahan some solid players to work with. West has been hot lately and he comes in after getting the most touches last week over Tate, who was injured early in the season. Tate's injury opened the door for Crowell and West to step up and now the Browns have three players they can rely on. West is the best start option, as he is coming in after putting up 94 yards on 26 rushes with one TD against the Bengals last week. Tate is the RB2 and Crowell is a start option in deeper leagues only for Week 11.
Pro Football Talk writes that the Browns and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan are itching to get Gordon back on the field, as he can help stretch defenses and open up the offense for Brian Hoyer. This season Hoyer has just one game with 300 or more passing yards, but adding Gordon surely would help that moving forward for the final quarter of the schedule. Shanahan has been getting by with Andrew Hawkins leading the way and getting Gordon back in the mix will only give him and the team more flexibility with personnel and matchups.
Gordon has gotten better and better over his first two seasons, basically doubling his production from his rookie year to last season. Gordon had 50 catches for 805 yards his rookie season and last year he bounced up to 87 catches for 1646 yards and nine TDs in two fewer games. Gordon has blazing speed and he will be a top target for Hoyer. Fantasy owners will be thrilled when he comes back and Gordon should also help open up the rushing attack with West, Tate and Crowell.