The Cleveland Browns won over the Ravens and Josh McCown had a fantastic day for fantasy owners and he is worth picking up to start in Week 6. Travis Benjamin, Duke Johnson, Taylor Gabriel, Andrew Hawkins and Isaiah Crowell have been solid on offense and McCown put up some great numbers against the Ravens and he has a tough test coming up against the Broncos.
McCown put up over 450 passing yards on Sunday and while the Broncos offer a much tougher secondary than Baltimore, McCown is a great fantasy replacement for this week for players on byes. The Cowboys, Raiders. Rams and Buccaneers are all on bye weeks and owners with players on those teams could look to the Browns for some one week help. The Browns have some playmakers in Benjamin, Barnidge and Johnson and riding the hot hand of McCown could be a solid option for Week 6 if owners don't have solid backup options.
McCown broke a franchise record with his performance and he has been playing well since coming back from a concussion suffered in Week 1. Many felt that Johnny Manziel deserved to start again after McCown was injured and he led the team to a win, but McCown has shown that he deserves the job with how he has been playing as of late. McCown has had at least 340 yards passing in three straight games and over that span he has six touchdowns and just one interception.
McCown has 1203 yards and six TDs this season and according to the Akron Beacon Journal, McCown is not in danger of missing this week after rolling his ankle late against the Ravens. McCown said that the ankle "feels good" and that he doesn't expect it to hamper him into Week 6 against the Broncos. Travis Benjamin has been a surprise this season for the Browns and he comes in after putting up six catches for 89 yards on Sunday and he had 12 targets from McCown.
Gary Barnidge has been great recently and he had the catch of the year while putting up solid stats for another week. Both players are worth checking out in fantasy for Week 6, even with the game coming against a tough Broncos defense. Johnson and Crowell each had 15 touchdowns in the game and moving forward both players are worth starting for fantasy owners. Johnson has a higher upside in PPR leagues with his pass catching skills.
The Browns have been dealing with some injury issues with Joe Haden and he could be out for the game this week. According to Pro Football Talk, Haden left the game against the Ravens in the fourth quarter and head coach Mike Pettine confirmed that Haden is in the league concussion protocol. Haden likely will be evaluated during the week and if he clears out of the protocol, he likely will play Sunday, but for now his status is uncertain. Haden did not play last week while dealing with a hand injury and if Haden is out, Pierre Desir likely will start, according to Pro Football Talk.
