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AFC North
With America having gone through another round of November election madness, the Cleveland Browns should be grateful they are not incumbent politicians. With a dismal 2-6 record, the Browns would likely be voted out of office.
Oh sure, a few Browns have proven to be worthy of being elected, such as Kellen Winslow Jr., budding sack sensation Kamerion Wimbley, and emerging cornerback Leigh Bodden (when healthy) but most of the squad has been disappointing and unable to live up to their off-season campaign promises.
Here's a midseason look at the Browns, position by position:
QB - Cleveland has gotten quite familiar with the maddening character that pilots their squad each week - Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Frye. At times, Charlie Frye looks like the answer at QB for the Browns. At other times, Frye reminds Cleveland fans of such dubious draft busts as Tim Couch, Paul McDonald, and Mike Phipps. The positives on Frye - he is a very tough kid who shows good intangibles and can make big plays happen, as evidenced by a scamper last week against San Diego that led to a 52 yard completion to Joe Jurevicius. On the flipside, he has tossed some reckless interceptions, including one that helped lead to a loss against Baltimore. Frye also had a costly fumble last week that turned into quick points for the Chargers. Still, given Cleveland's horrible offensive line, the lack of a running game, and the fact that Frye came into this season having started only 5 games, it's impossible to give up on Frye as a long-term asset. For now, as long as he stays healthy, you can count on Frye as a backup QB, because Derek Anderson and Ken Dorsey aren't worth anything and the Browns brass will want to continue to evaluate Frye. If they deem he isn't the answer they'll be in a position to draft a top quarterback in the first round of the 2007 draft.
Running Back - To steal a line from Jackson Browne, Reuben Droughns has been running on empty. Droughns is averaging only 3.2 yards per carry and around 60 yards a game with only 2 touchdowns. In fact, Frye has rushed for more touchdowns this season. The Browns would love to feed Droughns the ball more because both of their victories came when he topped the century mark. However, their weak offensive line has often hampered that plan. You can't count Reuben out, but you also can't count on much from him unless the Browns are in a favorable matchup. Jerome Harrison has shown some flashes in limited duty, but he's worth no more than a practice squad spot right now. If you have Jason Wright on your roster, you are doing something wrong.
WR - Considering he tore up a knee in December of 2005, the Browns have been fortunate to have Braylon Edwards out on the field this season. Well, at times they've been fortunate. Edwards has shown some of the potential that led Cleveland to make him a top five draft pick out of Michigan, but he's also had an alarming habit of either dropping passes or batting balls into the air that end up getting intercepted. If Edwards can develop better habits and consistency, and Cleveland beefs up their line, he could be a major fantasy factor next season. Joe Jurevicius is a veteran leader, but he's no longer a weekly fantasy factor. However he and Edwards are the only Cleveland wide receivers worthy of being on rosters. Travis Wilson looks like a draft day bust, since he can't even beat out the likes of Dennis "Butterfingers" Northcutt and Joshua Cribbs for third receiver duty.
TE - Kellen Winslow Jr. is the most dependable Brown on offense. His knee remains a concern, but he's a tough player who leads Cleveland in receptions and receiving yards. His three touchdowns are not a huge number, but they are more than decent considering the rest of the issues with the squad. You can confidently plug Winslow into your lineup each week. Second stringer Steve Heiden is actually tied for third on the team in receptions, but unless you are related to him in some way he shouldn't be on your roster.
OL - You'd have better luck developing oceanfront property in North Dakota than investing much in a Browns lineman. At least until LeCharles Bentley returns next season.
K - With the Browns frequently struggling in the red zone, veteran kicker Phil Dawson is a reliable option most weeks. Dawson typically isn't on the radar screen of most owners, but at a minimum he's worthy of a roster spot as his overall numbers during the first 8 weeks are good.
DL - The Browns despite their record have some good fantasy players on the defensive side of the ball. However, they don't play on the line. Orpheus Roye might have better numbers if he hadn't missed a couple of games, but the only young player who might be worth stashing away is Simon Fraser, who leads Cleveland linemen with three sacks. Fraser has almost no tackles and is far from a finished product, but keep the name in mind just in case.
LB - Although New England import Willie McGinest seems to be spending more time in traction than action, the Browns have three solid fantasy producers. First round selection Kamerion Wimbley has justified his top pick by leading Cleveland with 4 1/2 sacks. Another rookie, D'Qwell Jackson, is second on the team in tackles behind fellow backer Andra Davis, who remains a consistent, dependable linebacker for his EF owners. All three are a notch below some of the superstars at the position, but they are good weekly options and Wimbley in particular could have a bunch of promise as his career progresses.
DB - Sean Jones is a super stat guy all by himself, as he gives his owners decent tackle numbers and plenty of interceptions and deflected passes. He's an every week starter and Cleveland's top fantasy defensive producer. The secondary has been plagued by injuries, but cornerback Leigh Bodden is an emerging playmaker when he's out on the field. Bodden leads Cleveland in deflected passes and with Gary Baxter's career in jeopardy after an awful injury against Denver, he looms at Cleveland's "shut down" corner. Brodney Pool and Brian Russell offer some contributions to fantasy owners but aren't consistently reliable and most of Cleveland's cornerbacks other than Bodden are unknown. Daven Holly and Ralph Brown have been pressed into action and have generally performed well, but shouldn't be on your roster at this point.
P - Dave Zastudil hasn't been spectacular, but he's certainly not a major problem for the Browns. And he certainly wouldn't be a liability on your fantasy roster, but better options exist.
Overall - Unfortunately for Cleveland fans, it looks their football suffering is going to continue for at least one more season. However, for fantasy owners, there is some gold to be mined from the Cleveland roster and some young players who should be exciting to watch.
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