The Cleveland Browns are getting back Josh Gordon in Week 12 as his suspension ends and he is the top fantasy football pickup and start option at WR and it comes as Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West are sleeper options art RB over Ben Tate for the Browns, as Brian Hoyer has been getting some strong play from the two rookies over Tate in the past few weeks.
UPDATE: Ben Tate has been released by the Browns.
Gordon's return is huge for the Browns and while the team has downplayed his impact a bit, Hoyer said that Gordon has the chance to really bring a new element to the offense. According to ESPN.com, the Browns are going to work back Gordon slowly and Hoyer said to be cautious about putting too much pressure on Gordon too soon. The Browns offense should open up more with Gordon back, as he can be a player that stretches the field and he also has big play ability.
Gordon led the league in receiving yards last season and that was just in 14 games and now he will have the final quarter of the season to get things together for the Browns. Cleveland is in position to make the playoffs and adding Gordon should only help the team as they try to finish strong. Jordan Cameron has been out for most of the year and he has been in and out of the lineup with injuries and is the best offensive player past Gordon. The Falcons defense has given up yardage this season and that could spell trouble with Gordon coming back.
Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel have been playing well in the absence of Gordon and now that he is back, there will be fewer targets, but they may have more space to work with. Hawkins has been the top receiver for the Browns and now Gordon comes back after making 87 catches last season for 1646 yards and nine TDs to set career highs. Gordon has blazing speed and him coming back could be the spark that Cleveland needs, as they have played a number of close games this season.
Brian Hoyer has been solid this season and adding Gordon will be big for him in the offense, as he has been completing just 55 percent of his passes this season. Hoyer has been smart with the ball and has 11 TDs and five interceptions this year along with 2550 yards. Last week he went for 330 yards on 50 pass attempts and the team will be looking to run the ball a bit more down the stretch. The team has Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell playing better than Ben Tate as of late and those two names are ones to watch for fantasy owners down the back quarter of the season. West had a great game two weeks ago and last week Crowell was the top options.
The team continues to go with the hot hand and West comes in after going for 12 yards against the Texans. This season West has seven catches for 39 yards and has rushed for 408 yards along with three TDs. Crowell led the team with 14 carries and he ended up with more carries than West and Tate combined and that could be a sign of things to come. This season he has five Tds along with 358 yards rushing.
