I wasn't too fond of the Cleveland Browns as fantasy starters last week against the Raiders, but are there any better starts this week with the Seattle Seahawks coming to town?
- QB Colt McCoy - Accuracy is down. Decision-making hasn't been the greatest. When it is all said and done though, this guy is throwing a lot of passes, and that works well for fantasy football because it usually translates to more passing yards and more touchdowns. He has also managed to keep his interception rate very low. With how bad the Seahawks' pass defense has been, I'd be pretty high on starting McCoy this week if your quarterback is facing a stellar defense.
- RB Peyton Hillis - I don't think he'll play, but this is a week where I'd probably sit him even if he does. He would probably see limited reps due to his hamstring injury, but on top of that, the Seahawks' run defense has been quite good this year. When you combine that with the struggles of the Browns' offensive line, this is not a good week for Cleveland running backs.
- RB Montario Hardesty - If you have a running back on a bye week and Hardesty is a free agent, I think he is an obvious pick up and start. He did get punished for dropping another pass in practice, but I can't see that punishment carrying over to the game with the team already thin at running back. If Cleveland gets in the red zone, which is possible given Seattle's struggles against the pass, Hardesty is a threat to score.
- WR Greg Little - I said I wouldn't list receivers in this feature, but Little's performance last week changed that. I think he is McCoy's new number one target and he was the target of a couple of deep passes. I think McCoy and Little could combine this week on one of those big plays. If you've been stuck with crap receivers this year, now is the time to put Little into the lineup.
- TE Ben Watson - Same deal as always -- he remains a reliable target for McCoy and could take advantage of more seam routes up the middle like he did last year and in the preseason.
- TE Evan Moore - I'm still high on Moore, but I am cooling on his fantasy value. He will still probably be in during red zone packages which makes him a touchdown threat, but two out of five games might not be reliable enough when he's not getting the yardage to go with it.
- DEF Cleveland - I like the Browns' chances this year. Although losing Scott Fujita for this game may hurt, Kaluka Maiava seemed to fill in very well during the preseason and I look forward to seeing him play. The Seahawks have a bad quarterback situation right now, and overall, they can't run the ball unless Marshawn Lynch really goes into Beast Mode. They also have given up a ton of sacks and turn the ball over often. I would start the Browns' defense this week, even if you have a fairly reliable defense ahead of them.