Browns game status for Week 8 vs. Ravens

Wyatt Teller - questionable
Jerome Ford, Ronnie Hickman, Jordan Hicks and Jedrick Wills Jr. - out

Related Players: Nick Chubb, Pierre Strong Jr.

Chubb is set to continue taking a big piece of the backfield pie here, but it's doubtful he gets to a huge workload for another week or two. Consider him an RB3 option in Week 8.

Browns OC Ken Dorsey said RB Nick Chubb's workload for Sunday is "still a work in progress."

"We want to make sure that he's available for the long term."

Related Players: Pierre Strong Jr., D'Onta Foreman

The Browns backfield is a stay-away in Week 7.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski did not make any major declarations about Nick Chubb’s availability, only saying they’ll continue to take it one day at a time.

“Yeah, Nick’s working very hard,” Stefanski said in his news conference. “Just spent some time with him just now. He’s going to take this thing day by day and see where we go. But this only comes with hard work.”

Related players: Jerome Ford, D'Onta Foreman, Pierre Strong Jr.

It was reported over the weekend that the Browns are expecting Chubb to return to play in their Week 7 matchup with the Bengals, the story said. Chubb has been sidelined since Week 2 of last season, when he suffered a serious knee injury. Ford is expected to miss time with a hamstring injury, which would leave the team with Foreman and Strong at the RB position.

Browns RB Jerome Ford will be week to week with his hamstring injury, HC Kevin Stefanski said.

Related players: Nick Chubb, D'Onta Foreman, Pierre Strong Jr.

It just so happens that Chubb is lurking around and potentially ready to make his return. Week to week doesn't bode well for Ford's chances to play in Week 7, meaning a committee of Foreman and Strong will likely be in the team's plans this week. Even if Chubb is back this week, it would probably be unfair to expect him to take on a huge workload. It will be worth monitoring Chubb's status the rest of the week, however.

Browns rule out Grant Delpit, Ethan Pocic, Nick Chubb, Ronnie Hickman, Nyheim Hines, James Hudson III.

Denzel Ward, Maurice Hurst II, Jordan Hicks, Mohamoud Diabate listed as questionable.

David Njoku will play Sunday vs. Eagles.

Related Players: Jordan Akins, Jerome Ford, D'Onta Foreman, Pierre Strong Jr.

Hopefully Njoku can add a little boost to this floundering offense, and should slide right back into low-end TE1 range for fantasy.

As for the running back room, Ford likely holds onto the RB1 role for one more week, but the team has made it clear that they'd like to rotate him. This makes him a questionable call as your team's RB2, but at the very least, he provides a floor.

Browns players who returned to practice: Nick Chubb, David Njoku, Nyheim Hines, Pierre Strong Jr., Michael Dunn

Related Players: Jordan Akins

Akins performed well enough during Njoku's absence but not enough to get him on to fantasy radars. If Njoku plays in Week 5, he should re-take his spot in the lower-end TE1 range.

I think last week we got a glimpse of what we’ll see when it comes to the run game. I think Jerome Ford, Kareem Hunt and Pierre Strong Jr. are all going to be involved, and on Thursday, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt essentially said as much.

“Really, it’s by committee right now,” Van Pelt said. “Everybody’s going to get their touches. I see all those guys (Ford and Hunt) as 1A, 1B. They could all come in and be productive, which they’ve shown. That was our plan last week going in with Jerome coming off of the injury, not sure he was going to make it. So, we just wanted to put him in on third downs early, see how he felt, and then know that we could get him the ball in the fourth quarter with fresh legs.”

It seems like the three-deep running back rotation that has come to fruition won't be ending any time soon. With Jerome Ford back in Week 8, he handled nine carries to Kareem Hunt's 14. Pierre Strong Jr.'s took ten carries himself, as the veteran Hunt went touch-less in the fourth quarter.

Ford should be the only legitimate fantasy option this week, as an RB2/3.

Browns’ RB Jerome Ford - who left Sunday’s win over the Colts with an ankle injury - was diagnosed with what a source described as a “low grade, high ankle” sprain.

Related players: Kareem Hunt, Pierre Strong Jr.

Schefter said the injury is expected to sideline him 1-2 weeks. Hunt and Strong are next up on the depth chart and the Browns may make another move for a back. Hunt had 10 carries to Strong's 8, but Hunt scored two TDs in the contest. Hunt seems like the back to own and play in fantasy lineups, but Strong could have a role as well. The Browns are at Seahawks in Week 8 and then host the Cardinals in Week 9.

The Browns have signed TE Devin Asiasi and RB Deon Jackson to the practice squad Tuesday.

Related players: Kareem Hunt, Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr.

Jackson struggled this year with the Colts before eventually getting released. He flashed last season filling in for Jonathan Taylor but now finds himself on the Browns practice squad as the team looks to build up running back depth to replace Nick Chubb. With Jackson on the practice squad, for now the team's top-three backs remain Ford, Hunt and Strong.

The Browns and veteran RB Kareem Hunt have agreed to terms on a one-year deal. Hunt scored 23 TDs over the past four seasons in Cleveland. Now he’s back — and figures to have a lot of opportunities after Nick Chubb’s season-ending injury.

Related Players: Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr.

Hunt had been one of the least efficient ball carriers over the past two seasons and was no doubt a huge reason why the Browns let him walk in the first place. We are still expecting Jerome Ford to handle a vast majority of the workload, with Hunt rotating in with Strong.