Cleveland Browns RB Ben Tate is back to start for Week 6 for fantasy football owners and after his performance last week, Isaiah Crowell and Terrence West are taking a back seat to him rushing the ball and looking forward, fantasy owners would be wise to keep one player as a handcuff for Tate while also looking at Josh Gordon, as he will be returning later this season.
This past week Tate looked refreshed and ready to keep the starting job after being injured in the first game of the season. Tate had over 100 yards rushing in his first game back and he ended up with more carries than Crowell and West had combined. According to Pro Football Talk, Tate said he felt fine after the game despite being out since the early part of the season and he now has the chance to put up strong numbers. The Steelers are next and while that game will be tough, they have given up some decent rushing performances so far this season.
Tate ended up with 123 yards on 22 carries in the game and he also added one catch for PPR owners out there. Tate came into the season as the clear starter after signing from the Texans and he was in line to be the starter for the first time in his career. Tate started in Houston, but that was when Arian Foster was injured and now that was flipped with the Browns. Crowell and West played well in his absence and that likely gets them some carries going forward. The Browns now have three solid running backs for Kyle Shanahan to play with.
Some fantasy owners are in a position where they should keep Crowell or West, as Tate has shown in the past he is injury prone and his knee could flare up again. If fantasy owners have room on their bench for a handcuff, Crowell is a better option right now than West, but Tate looks like he is ready to stay in the starting job now that he is back and healed up.
Crowell played well with Tate out, rushing for 160 yards on 33 carries and he also had three touchdowns during that time. Crowell had seven carries for 31 yards and now he is an option only in deeper leagues. West has more yards with 235 on the season, but he likely will be the number three back now. Tate will be getting the bulk of the carries and West is a starter only in 12 to 14 team leagues now. Tate had his best season in 2011 while playing in 15 games while Foster was injured, going for 942 yards on the ground that season. Last year he had 771 yards while Foster was injured and he did that basically while playing with one broken rib.
Owners shouldn't forget about Josh Gordon, as he is set to return soon, but in the meantime, Travis Benjamin and Andrew Hawkins are solid pickups. Benjamin had four catches for 48 yards on Sunday with two TDs and he could be a new favorite target for Brian Hoyer moving forward this season.
