AFC North Team Previews

OWS Fam,

In today’s Daily Dose, we dive into the AFC North.

Over the coming week, we will also continue to deliver cutting-edge content to your inbox designed to maximize your preparation at the height of fantasy draft season.

Find the rest of the division previews here: https://owsdailydose.beehiiv.com/

________________________________________________________

Team Previews are written by Hilow

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Coaching/Philosophy/Scheme Changes ::

• Offense: HC Kevin Stefanski returns for his fifth season in Cleveland, and this year, he’ll operate with a new offensive coordinator in Ken Dorsey.

• Defense: DC Jim Schwartz returns for his second season in Cleveland.

• Run-balanced offensive design should remain moving forward, built behind an elite offensive line.

Personnel Changes ::

• Say what you will about the top brass in Cleveland, but they have put their money where their collective mouths are over the previous two offseasons.

• Acquired WR Jerry Jeudy in a trade with the Broncos.

• Upgraded the linebacker unit with the additions of Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush.

• Have maintained one of the top offensive lines in all of football land with Jedrick Wills, Joel Bitonio, Ethan Pocic, Wyatt Teller, and Jack Conklin.

• Replaced the departing Joe Flacco with another capable veteran in Jameis Winston.

• Lost RB Kareem Hunt and TE Harrison Bryant after failing to renew their contracts.

• Added depth in the backfield via the additions of Nyheim Hines and D’Onta Foreman.

Schedule ::

• Divisional Games (6) ::

  • Bengals x2, Ravens x2, Steelers x2

• AFC West (4) ::

  • @Broncos, @Raiders, Chiefs, Chargers

• NFC East (4) ::

  • @Eagles, @Commanders, Giants, Cowboys

• Other (3)::

  • @Jaguars, @Saints, Dolphins

Bull Case ::

An extremely difficult adjusted strength of schedule (30^th , per Sharp Football Analysis) should leave the Browns needing to keep their proverbial foot on the gas in 2024. The addition of Jeudy two years after adding Amari Cooper gives quarterback Deshaun Watson the best assembly of weapons of his career behind the best offensive line of his career, with Cooper and Jeudy joined by Elijah Moore, David Njoku, and (eventually) Nick Chubb (likely to be some combination of Jerome Ford and Foreman to begin the season). The improvements to the linebacker unit this offseason also gives the Browns the best on-paper defense they have had over the previous decade. From top to bottom, this roster is built to win now.

The Browns dealt with a slew of key season-ending injuries in the 2023 season, including Watson, Chubb, Conklin, and Wills. Watson and both tackles are expected to be ready for the start of the 2024 season, while Chubb should return at some point. Ford proved he can handle the load left behind by Chubb while the latter returns to health.

Bear Case ::

Watson (0.45) was vastly outperformed by both Jeff Driskel (0.50) and Flacco (0.52) from a fantasy-points-per-dropback standpoint in 2023 and never fully settled into Stefanski and Van Pelt’s offense before being lost for the season following Week 9. Even playing for a team built off of the run, this team is going to go as Watson goes – and it hasn’t necessarily been pretty thus far in Cleveland with Watson under center. He accounted for multiple touchdowns in just three of six games in 2023, threw seven touchdowns to four interceptions, and had a lower passer rating than Easton Stick, Nick Mullens, Sam Darnold and Jarrett Stidham.

Chubb suffered a catastrophic knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 season, an injury that required multiple surgeries to repair his MCL, meniscus and ACL. This occurred in the same name that he previously blew out in college, suffering a dislocated knee and torn ACL, MCL, and PCL ligaments. He underwent surgery on September 29 to repair the MCL and meniscus and required an additional surgery in November to repair the ACL from his most recent injury. Chubb enters the 2024 season on a one-year contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent. He is highly unlikely to be fully healthy before the start of the 2024 season, likely leaving some combination of Ford, Foreman and Hines to carry the load until he is ready.

Expectations/Takeaways ::

Watson is currently the 22^nd QB off the board in early best ball drafts, behind Justin Herbert, Kirk Cousins, Trevor Lawrence, Jayden Daniels, Aaron Rodgers and Baker Mayfield. I have Watson ranked above all six. Watson was dealt a slew of issues to overcome in his first season in Cleveland, including off-the-field distractions, injuries and key injuries to his supporting cast. Assuming the health of Watson and his offensive line, he is set up to destroy his current ADP while playing with the top supporting cast of his professional career. I’m buying the uncertainty all day here.

You can currently pair Chubb (RB32 per ADP) and Ford (RB42 per ADP) for less than a trip to McDonalds. Ford saw 267 running back opportunities in relief of Chubb a season ago, all the while sharing primary duties with Hunt. Hunt (and his nine touchdowns) is no longer with the team. Buy.

Cooper finished as the WR18 in fantasy points per game in 2023 and is currently being drafted as the 29^th wide receiver off the board in early best ball drafts. The presence of Jeudy should theoretically open up the areas of the field where Cooper and tight end Njoku do most of their work. I’m more interested in buying Cooper and Njoku than I am buying into Jeudy in his new home.

TE10 feels like a fair price to pay for Njoku considering he ranked third in the league in targets at the tight end position in 2023 (123), saw an elite 24.7 percent TPRR (targets per route run), played the third-highest snap rate (87.0 percent) at the position, and led the league in yards after the catch at tight end (599). He’ll be on the field at a high clip and doesn’t clash with the other pass catchers on the roster as far as his area of operation (yes, low 4.6-yard aDOT a season ago).

Mid-August Update ::

• WR Jerry Jeudy dealt with a knee injury early in camp, but he ramped up his participation during the stretch run of training camp. RB D’Onta Foreman suffered a scary neck injury in practice Aug. 1 and spent time in the hospital, but he was able to play in the second preseason game, and WR Elijah Moore picked up a concussion in the first week of camp but was back on the field by Aug. 6. While those scenarios all involved injuries to players we know are going to be involved in this offense, particularly when added to RB Nick Chubb’s presence on the PUP list, the aforementioned trio appears on track to be available for Week 1.

• HC Kevin Stefanski will retain offensive play-calling duties, but OC Ken Dorsey said he would like to instill a more up-tempo offense.

• The Browns are projected to be as mediocre as they come, ranking 18^th in projected points with team totals over 21 points in 14 games but zero games with a team total over 25 points and zero games with a game total over 48 points (one of only seven teams to have zero games with a game total over 48 points this year).

________________________________________________________

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Coaching/Philosophy/Scheme Changes ::

• Offense: The longest-tenured head coach in the NFL returns for his 18^th season with the Steelers, albeit now with OC Arthur Smith (ew) to lead the offense.

• Defense: DC Teryl Austin returns for his third season in Pittsburgh.

• Expect nothing short of the same smashmouth style of football from these Steelers for as long as Mike Tomlin is in town.

Personnel Changes ::

• Traded WR Diontae Johnson to Carolina.

• All three QBs that started the 2023 season with the team are no longer in town.

• Failed to renew the contract of WR Allen Robinson.

• Almost an entirely new secondary.

• Drafted offensive linemen with first two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, both of whom are projected to be starters to begin the season.

• Added QBs Russell Wilson and Justin Fields via trade.

• Added WRs Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins via free agency.

• Signed RB/WR/KR Cordarrelle Patterson because why not.

• Added LB Patrick Queen to pair with Elandon Roberts, T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith in their 3-4 defensive scheme.

• Added rookie WR Roman Wilson in the third round.

Schedule ::

• Divisional Games (6)::

  • Bengals x2, Browns x2, Ravens x2

• AFC West (4)::

  • @Broncos, @Raiders, Chiefs, Chargers

• NFC East (4)::

  • @Eagles, @Commanders, Giants, Cowboys

• Other (3)::

  • @Colts, @Falcons, Jets

Bull Case ::

Oh man, I try really hard to find the good in things in this world, I really do – I struggle to find the good in the 2024 version of the Steelers, at least from a fantasy perspective. They have proven to favor a split backfield, their wide receiver corps is probably a bottom-three unit, their quarterback room consists of a conglomeration of retreads, and their new offensive coordinator made it his mission to set NFL records for highest rush rate over the previous two seasons. I dunno, man.

Bear Case ::

When was the last time you remember seeing a “personnel changes” list as long as this one from the Steelers? I don’t know if I can recall as much turnover in all 17 years of Tomlin’s time in Pittsburgh (I dunno, maybe the Steelers fans in the room can attest). Considering how this team attempts to win games, the biggest concern for the Steelers in 2024 is the changes along the offensive line, with two rookies projected to begin the season in the starting lineup.

Add in changes under center and a wide receiver group that resembles a UFL roster and there is a definite bear case to be made in Pittsburgh for the coming season. Yea, Tomlin always finds a way to get to .500, but this season could be a difficult watch for Steelers fans. Adding to the misery is an adjusted strength of schedule that ranks dead last in 2023, per Sharp Football Analysis.

I expect a high reliance on the current version of the Steel Curtain (their defense) this season to keep them competitive. The good news (for Steelers fans) is that their defense looks solid on paper, with the additions this offseason filling areas of need.

Expectations/Takeaways ::

Will it be Wilson under center? Will it be Fields? It’s probably Wilson, at least to start the season, but still – there is enough uncertainty here to boil water. Hell, maybe it’s Kyle Allen? I kid, kind of. The Steelers have been in the bottom half of the league in pass-play percentage (between 51 and 53 percent) in each of the two seasons after Ben Roethlisberger hung them up following the 2021 season. Based on their personnel decisions this offseason, I expect that trend to continue, regardless of who is under center.

That places quite the damper on all pass catchers in this offense for the coming season, regardless of how they performed on a per-target basis last season. I say that because George Pickens returned top-24 marks in fantasy points per route run against man coverage a season ago while playing alongside Johnson. He won’t have much competition for targets, but we’re looking at somewhere in the range of 30-32 pass attempts per game per my current projections. Considering I don’t expect Pickens’ target share to jump from just over 20 percent (21.9 percent in 2023) to 28-30 percent (as would be required in this setup), we’re looking at a weekly allowance of six to eight targets for Pickens in the coming season. That’s 102-136 targets on the season, assuming he doesn’t miss a game. After finishing the 2023 season as the WR36 in fantasy points per game on 6.2 targets per game, I just don’t see the hype here. He is currently going off the board as the WR30 in early best ball contests.

If anything, that leaves room for the modest 13.9 percent team target market share from tight end Pat Freiermuth to grow in the coming season. Considering he held solid marks in red-zone target share (18.9 and 19.4 percent in each of the last two seasons), there is room to the upside here. A current TE16 valuation feels a bit low.

Jefferson, Wilson, Watkins, Calvin Austin, Denzel Mims and whatever other pass catchers the Steelers want to trot out there on a weekly basis do not pique my fancy.

Najee Harris was the “starter” in Pittsburgh for the first half of the season and peaked at a 58 percent snap rate and 19 running back opportunities. Then, Jaylen Warren was the “starter,” peaking at 19 running back opportunities and a 69 percent snap rate. Then, Harris was the “starter” again to end the season, seeing 19, 27, and 31 running back opportunities during the final three games of the regular season to go along with five total touchdowns. 

I’m not going to pretend to know what the backfield usage split will look like in Pittsburgh this year, but we have to be honest about the fact that both backs are returning to the same team with a new (run-heavy) offensive coordinator. Likeliest scenario is we’re looking at a 55/45 or 60/40 split between the two, with the understanding that the “starter” could change with the wind. RB22 and RB29 valuations for Harris and Warren, respectively, feels about right. Harris had six usable weeks in 2023 while Warren had four. Sure? I won’t be overweight either.

Mid-August Update ::

• Steelers rank 24^th in projected points scored for 2024, with eight games with a team total over 21 points and zero games with either a team total over 25 points or a game total over 48 points.

• Rookie WR Roman Wilson was carted off the practice field on Wednesday (31 July) and is said to be week-to-week with an ankle injury, and he’d shed his walking boot by Aug. 4. Even if he makes it back for the start of the regular season, a rookie receiver missing all but one week of camp is far from ideal. Expect him to start slow at absolute best.

• QB Russell Wilson picked up a calf injury, which is hilarious to me because the 35-year-old signal caller was seen pushing sleds in camp. Dafuq, mate? Either way, his absence gave Justin Fields valuable first- team reps for multiple weeks in camp, as well as the start in the Steelers’ first preseason game. Fields appeared to be closing the gap between the two for the starting job out of the gate, but Wilson eventually returned to practice and started Pittsburgh’s second preseason game. I still believe it’s Wilson’s job to lose at this point, but the coaching staff could be a bit more spring-loaded to pull that trigger earlier in the season now.

• RB Cordarrelle Patterson hit the NFI list to begin camp but was activated Aug. 9 and played in the Steelers’ second preseason game.

________________________________________________________

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Coaching/Philosophy/Scheme Changes ::

• Offense: John Harbaugh is back for his 17^th season in Baltimore, bringing back Todd Monken for his second year as offensive coordinator.

• Defense: Former NFL linebacker and linebacker coach Zachary Orr gets his first crack at defensive coordinator duties for the Ravens in 2024.

Personnel Changes ::

• RBs Dalvin Cook, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards all departed this offseason.

• WRs Odell Beckham Jr, Devin Duvernay and Laquon Treadwell also departed.

• No less than five defensive starters are no longer with the team, most notably LB Patrick Queen, EDGE Jadeveon Clowney, CBs Ronald Darby and Rock Ya-Sin, and S Geno Stone.

• Drafted CB Nate Wiggins in the first round and RT Roger Rosengarten in the second, both of whom should start from Day 1.

• Signed RB Derrick Henry six months after failing to acquire him at the trade deadline during the 2023 season.

• Should get TE Mark Andrews back from injury early in the season.

Schedule ::

• Divisional Games (6)::

  • Bengals x2, Browns x2, Steelers x2

• AFC West (4)::

  • @Chiefs, @Chargers, Raiders, Broncos

• NFC East (4)::

  • @Cowboys, @Giants, Eagles, Commanders

• Other (3)::

  • @Texans, @Buccaneers, Bills

Bull Case ::

The Ravens led the league in points allowed, sacks and takeaways in 2023, the first team to do so in NFL history. Even still, the Ravens finished the year ranked fourth in points per game at 27.7, improving by more than a full touchdown per game from 2022 (20.4) in the first year under the tutelage of Monken. In other words, this team was an absolute powerhouse last year, and we have every reason to believe that trend will continue into the 2024 season.

Lamar Jackson averaged 9.25 rush attempts per game and accounted for 29 total touchdowns (24 passing, five rushing). It is unlikely that profile will lend itself to overall QB1 upside considering Jackson has eclipsed 40 total touchdowns just once in his six-year career (typically the “magic number” for quarterbacks to achieve QB1 status), but there are few quarterbacks in the game that bring his level of consistency. I have Jackson ranked slightly below consensus at QB4, but you’ll get no arguments from me in drafting him at ADP. Just don’t expect a ton of weekly volume for the primary skill-position players.

Bear Case ::

The Ravens had a significant turnover in personnel this offseason and also watched as the Seahawks lured defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald away with their head coaching position. That’s tough to overcome for any franchise. The Ravens also don’t have a top on-paper pass-catching corps, with only Zay Flowers and Andrews grading out as above-average pieces. Even so, the addition of Henry and an in-your-face defensive philosophy is likely going to provide the Ravens the opportunity to control games the way they want to control games, with an emphasis on the ground game on offense and generating disruption on defense.

Expectations/Takeaways ::

The Ravens became the first team in NFL history to lead the league in points allowed, sacks and takeaways in 2023 under Macdonald, who left for the head coaching job in Seattle this offseason. Those are the shoes that first-time defensive coordinator and former linebacker and linebackers coach Orr has to fill for the Ravens this season. In his opening press conference, Orr gave four primary points of emphasis for what his defense will look like this year: playing as one, violent, execution and organized chaos. The most interesting aspect of that to me is the “organized chaos” piece, which he described as a way to “present a lot of problems to the opposing offense” and to “never give the answer to the offense before the snap.” While we can’t expect a first-time defensive coordinator to achieve the same level of success that this team did last season, particularly considering the offseason departures, we can expect Orr’s mindset to translate well to defensive play-calling duties. In other words, the identity of this defense should carry over under his leadership.

That’s important to understand as we dive into our expectations for the Ravens for the 2024 season, considering they averaged just 29.1 pass attempts (tied for the fewest) and 31.5 rush attempts per game (most in the league) in 2023. Quarterback Lamar Jackson accounted for 9.25 rush attempts per game, leaving 22.25 per game to the backfield. I don’t expect Henry to see all of those attempts considering Keaton Mitchell (torn ACL in 2023) and Justice Hill remain on the roster, but it’s safe to pencil him in for 14-18 high value carries per game in his first season in Baltimore. Edwards managed a robust 13 touchdowns as the lead back for the Ravens in 2023, which is a benchmark I would be shocked if Henry failed to eclipse. All of that to say, Henry is probably too low on a lot of early draft boards this season.

Considering a pass-catching corps that consists of Andrews coming off of a season-ending injury, Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor, and considering the Ravens target their running backs at a low rate already and Henry has never seen huge usage through the air throughout his career, it’s safe to assume Flowers could improve upon the 24.4 percent target share (22.2 percent red-zone target share) he commanded as a rookie, particularly considering he immediately played as an every-down wide receiver for the Ravens (he was in a route on every single dropback last year). He had the seventh-best separation at target as a rookie and held solid metrics against the five primary coverages. I’m higher on him in year two than his WR28 valuation, despite the low expected pass volume in Baltimore.

As for Andrews, this is a man that has been the zone killer for the previous five years in this offense. At the same time, players coming back from his type of injury have historically seen up to a 30 percent dip in efficiency the following year. He is also being drafted just nine picks behind Travis Kelce and well ahead of potential volume options at the position like Evan Engram and David Njoku. I’ll be underweight at current valuation. The current price on Bateman (WR76) and Agholor (WR121) is “fine,” while fourth-round rookie Devontez Walker could theoretically carve out a solid role considering the underwhelming careers of both players ahead of him on the depth chart. In earnest, I’ll likely be overweight on Jackson, Henry and Flowers and will underweight the others.

Mid-August Update :: 

• Harbaugh said he expects RB Justice Hill to play a lot this season and views him as a starter. While there is clearly some embellishment there, it should hint at the expected workload (cap) for starter Derrick Henry.

• RB Keaton Mitchell was placed on the PUP list and could be looking at a return in the back half of the season, which presumably left rookie Rasheen Ali as the likeliest early-down cuff to Henry. However, Ali suffered a neck stinger in the Ravens’ first preseason game and hasn’t practiced since, putting his roster spot in potential jeopardy per recent reports.

• TE Mark Andrews is healthy and participating in camp.

• QB Lamar Jackson missed a handful of camp practices with an illness but is fully healthy heading into the season.

• Harbaugh talked up WR Rashod Bateman yet again – stop me if you’ve seen this one before. But seriously, Harbaugh said he expects Bateman to take a step forward entering his fourth professional season.

• I would expect this offense to be highly concentrated among Andrews, Zay Flowers, and the backfield.

________________________________________________________

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Coaching/Philosophy/Scheme Changes ::

• Offense: Head coach Zac Taylor calls plays, entering his sixth year with the team.

• Defense: Lou Anarumo enters his sixth year with the team.

Personnel Changes ::

• RB Joe Mixon departed via trade with the Texans and was replaced by Zack Moss.

• WR Tyler Boyd was not re-signed.

• RT Jonah Williams signed with the Cardinals and was replaced by Trent Brown.

• TE Irv Smith signed with the Chiefs and was replaced by Mike Gesicki.

• The team made three splashy free agent signings on the defensive side of the ball, including DT Sheldon Rankins, S Vonn Bell, and S Geno Stone.

• Drafted OT Amarius Mims in the first round.

Schedule ::

• Divisional Games (6) ::

  • Ravens x2, Steelers x2, Browns x2

• AFC West (4)::

  • @Chiefs, @Chargers, Broncos, Raiders

• NFC East (4)::

  • @Cowboys, @Giants, Eagles, Commanders

• Other (3)::

  • @Titans, @Panthers, Patriots

Bull Case ::

Sharp Football Analysis gives the Bengals the sixth-easiest adjusted strength of schedule for the 2024 season, with one-off games against the Titans, Panthers and Patriots on tap in addition to a slipping AFC West and up-and-down NFC East. The Bengals slipped in 2023, scoring just 21.5 points per game after managing 25.7 the season prior, which gives additional upside against the recency bias.

WR Tee Higgins missed five games in 2023, QB Joe Burrow missed seven games, and Ja’Marr Chase missed one and played sparingly in another; the good news is all appear fully healthy heading into the new season. Arguably more important than any of that is the expected constriction of targets after Boyd and Smith departed in free agency, likely leaving Gesicki and Trenton Irwin to start alongside Chase and Higgins. Wheels are fully up with those two.

Bear Case ::

The other side of that equation is also viable in that the Bengals had a down scoring season last year – and it wasn’t simply a case of “oh, Jake Browning was forced to start for half of the season.” The Bengals scored 27 or more points in over half of Browning’s starts (four of seven), doing so in just three of nine Joe Burrow starts in which he finished the complete game. They were held to three points in two of those contests. Head coach and offensive play caller Zac Taylor studied under Sean McVay’s tutelage (an extension of the Gary Kubiak coaching tree) but has historically struggled with predictability in play-calling tendencies that has led to numerous seasons of inefficient run games. He’ll need to buck that trend to take this team to the next level.

One of the things we like so much about the Kubiak coaching tree is the coaches that hail from that lineage are typically forward-thinking coaches that copy aspects of each other that they see work on the field. Kyle Shanahan spoke last season about taking the “loop route” concept and horizontal pre-snap motion from Mike McDaniel, as did McVay. We saw those concepts utilized by Bobby Slowik. We did not see anything of the sort from Taylor. 

Expectations/Takeaways ::

The good news for us is that Taylor has remained extremely pass-focused during his tenure in Cincinnati, with the team attempting 36.2 and 37.8 passes per game in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Irwin’s career high TPRR (targets per route run) is 13.4 percent, from the 2022 season. Irwin is entering his fifth year in the league, so we know it is highly unlikely that he is commanding targets at a meaningful rate. Gesicki was at 19 percent or higher in each of his first four seasons in the league before dipping below 15 percent for the previous two seasons. Moss ran just 14.4 routes per game in 2023 and caught a career-high 27 passes. In other words, we’re likely to see the already pass-heavy nature of this offense increase its concentration on two players – Chase and Higgins.

I’m not saying we’re all of a sudden going to see peak 2022 Miami Dolphins level of concentration, just that any boost to the already lofty target shares of those two players is a boost to their range of outcomes. I currently have Chase as the WR3 and Higgins as the WR26, right around their respective ADP. Given our understanding of range of outcomes, we can be honest with the fact that those median projections leave a good bit of room to the upside, with overall WR1 within the range of outcomes for Chase and top 10 within the range of outcomes for Higgins. Both make fantastic picks at current ADP.

Moss appeared every bit “just a guy” until breaking out with increased responsibilities a season ago, earning a follow-up contract with the Bengals in the process. The best thing Moss has going for him at this point is that his only competition for snaps in the backfield are three backs drafted in the fifth round or later in Chase Brown, Trayveon Williams and Chris Evans (and maybe 2024 UDFA Elijah Collins, if you’re into that sort of thing). A total of 54.5 percent of Mixon’s carries last year came behind man/gap concepts, while Moss saw a 78.1 percent zone-concept carry rate when he ran to a career year. In other words, I question the fit for Moss.

I would much rather take shots on Gesicki at ADP than some of the other tertiary receiving options in Cincinnati. Finally, Burrow averaged just 15.3 fantasy points per game in 2023 and had three games in single digits. He went over 20 fantasy points at a 40 percent clip. Compare that to someone like Dak Prescott (8/17, drafted directly after Burrow) or Brock Purdy (9/16, drafted two spots behind Burrow). I’m not saying the price is wrong, I’m just saying there might be better options to build around on rosters not including either Chase or Higgins, considering the only viable back-stacking option (in my eyes) left on the board is Gesicki.

Mid-August Update ::

• Andre Iosivas appears to be grabbing hold of the starting slot receiver role for the Bengals. Whether or not that holds throughout the season remains to be seen, but even QB Joe Burrow recently lauded his efforts, saying “(Iosivas) is gonna have a big year.”

• RB Chase Brown has seen at least 50% of the running back opportunities with the first-team offense in every camp practice so far. That is startling news. Brown is clearly the more explosive back, with his biggest shortcoming last season being that he was not trusted in pass protection (and Zack Moss is one of the better pass protectors in the league). That said, Brown was an excellent pass protector in college and that is an aspect of his game that can be taught/coached up. Brown has immense upside if he can assert control of the backfield. I was up to about 40% Zack Moss exposure through my first 250 or so drafts but cooled off substantially and have been force-feeding some Brown exposure recently, the reason being that this is likely to be a backfield that carries immense value this year.

• WR Ja’Marr Chase was present for many training camp practices but never participated as he seeks a contract extension (similar situation to Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco, although Chase did not publicly request a trade). Something to simply monitor more than anything else.

• First-round rookie OT Amarius Mims suffered a pectoral strain in the preseason opener Aug. 10 and could still be sidelined when Week 1 rolls around.

• TE Mike Gesicki has reportedly had a great connection with Burrow in camp.