Won't be able to post link because its a paysite...but in my 17 years of playing fantasy football, I've never seen Brown's players get so much respect.

The Stock Watch (Preseason Week #2)


Updated, 8/18/13 @ 11:30 p.m. ET
by John Hansen, Publisher
Stock Watch Archives:
Preseason Week One (8/3-8/13)
Preseason (7/28-8/8)

With second week of the preseason just about wrapped up, it’s time to re-examine the fantasy landscape, and there’s a lot going on. We’ve seen this past weekend some new players step up and emerge, some emerging options continue their ascension, and we’ve seen some situations that are a little disconcerting.

Of course, as always, we’ve also seen some injuries disrupt the marketplace.

But things are really starting to come into focus, so here’s my current market commentary.

Upgrades

Quarterbacks

Brandon Weeden (Cle) – Let’s get this out of the way: We don’t know what Brown coach Rob Chudzinski is doing when he says Weeden still has to compete for his job, but in our minds there is no competition. With his second straight strong outing in the preseason, Weeden’s gap over Jason Campbell and Brian Hoyer extended. Weeden finished 8/12, for 117 yards and 2 TDs in the win over the Lions, with both TDs going to TE Jordan Cameron (3/42/2). Weeden stood in the pocket and delivered the ball downfield, which is exactly what Chud and Norv Turner want from their QB. Weeden’s best two throws of the game may have been the first TD to Cameron, on which he saw Cameron get inside position on S Glover Quin and threw it behind two defenders, and a deep ball to WR Josh Gordon (3/72) on which he exhibited beautiful touch and accuracy. It’s only the preseason, but as we’ve said all summer: Weeden can play and he’s a good fit for this offense. If Weeden plays like this, the Browns have a chance to put up a lot of points.

Running Backs

Trent Richardson (Cle) – We wouldn’t have been upset if Richardson didn’t play at all this preseason, since the Browns should protect their investment, but now that he’s gotten through a game unscathed, we’re glad we got to see him. Against the Lions, Richardson finished with 33 yards on 6 carries, including an 18-yard run on which he seemed to be bottled up at the line but bounced off tacklers and kept his balance. Richardson looks healthy, and aside from the strong performance of Brandon Weeden so far, is the #1 reason we’re optimistic about the Brown offense. He’s a rock-solid top-7 fantasy pick.




Wide Receivers



Josh Gordon (Cle) – There’s no doubt Gordon can play. He made one of the most impressive plays of the week on Thursday night, hauling in a beautiful 24-yard pass from Brandon Weeden down the sidelines with one hand, with a defender draped all over him (pass interference was called). Gordon’s been called out for an inconsistent camp, and with his two-game suspension to open the season, his margin for error with the new Cleveland coaching staff isn’t very big. However, if he keeps making plays the way he did on Thursday (he finished with 72 yards on 3 catches), they’ll be able to put up with a few lackadaisical routes in practice. We worry greatly about him off the field, but the bottom line is he’s a baller and he looks phenomenal in game action.


Tight Ends



Jordan Cameron (Cle) – The reviews on Cameron have been mixed this off-season, but we’re beginning to wonder if this is a weird motivational tactic from coach Rob Chudzinski’s regime. Because the entire Brown organization has been flaky on QB Brandon Weeden and WR Josh Gordon this off-season as well, and each player has answered the call so far in the preseason. On Thursday night against the Lions, Cameron caught 3 passes for 42 yards and 2 TDs, and he’s been Weeden’s preferred red-zone target thus far in the preseason. He also made a leaping catch down the field, showing his natural speed and athleticism that makes him such an intriguing fantasy option in the first place. With this impressive showing in the books, the positives for Cameron have outweighed the negatives in August, which included a drop in the Browns’ preseason opener. If he keeps making plays, the occasional drop will be easier to brush off to the side and he’ll be that upside backup we thought it would be all off-season. With Cameron, if you draft him, it would be behoove you to also get a reliable backup because he’s still not a lock to produce when the bullets are flying for real.

Thanks for posting that. Just "seen" (lulz) this:

#Browns WR David Nelson reveals it's been bone bruise and not ACL keeping him out

Commander of Awesome;1488731 wrote:If not for trying to spare the back up QB's feelings, why then would Chud "just try to be nice"?

He was trying to be nice to the media. The reason someone would be nice to the media as a Head Coach would be to keep them as an ally as opposed to an adversary....I guess.

Saints have released Seneca Wallace...probably told Sean Peyton he should start. LOL

Con_Alma;1488738 wrote:He was trying to be nice to the media. The reason someone would be nice to the media as a Head Coach would be to keep them as an ally as opposed to an adversary....I guess.

Do you honestly believe that? Read it aloud to yourself.

Con_Alma;1488738 wrote:He was trying to be nice to the media. The reason someone would be nice to the media as a Head Coach would be to keep them as an ally as opposed to an adversary....I guess.

Yeah, that is why Bill Belichick is so nice to the media /sarcasm

Commander of Awesome;1488771 wrote:Do you honestly believe that? Read it aloud to yourself.

I believe he was in a polite way trying to move on from the question asked....multiple times. There's no starter been decided upon. They are continuing to compete fro the position. There's not any more to it than that.

like_that;1488774 wrote:Yeah, that is why Bill Belichick is so nice to the media /sarcasm

...cause every head coach deals with the media the same way Belichick does.

You have all been /CON_ALMA'D

Pick6;1488793 wrote:You have all been /CON_ALMA'D

No we haven't. Looks like you have though, lolfail.

Commander of Awesome;1488798 wrote:No we haven't. Looks like you have though, lolfail.

woah. you really got me.

Browns add some Guard depth with the trade of Samford (Dline, probably would have been cut) for Moffit. Not much to see here, but glad they got some depth with Lavaou and Pinkston down.

Pick6;1488800 wrote:woah. you really got me.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-2GmzyeeXnQ&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D-2GmzyeeXnQ

iclfan2;1488920 wrote:Browns add some Guard depth with the trade of Samford (Dline, probably would have been cut) for Moffit. Not much to see here, but glad they got some depth with Lavaou and Pinkston down.

Shocked the browns were able to get legit depth at G and back up Center for a guy who honestly was going to be cut. If I were a seahawks fan I'd be wondering why we didn't get Kitchen or Winn. Nice pwn by the Brown's FO.

Very nice pick up with no loss at all!

In the "keep your enemies close" department, did anyone catch any of the Steelers/Skins game last night? True, only preseason but Pittsburgh's O-Line still looks like crap and Roethlisberger looks like he'd rather be somewhere else. Haley's offense seems to be trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. More of a dink & dunk type system while establishing a running game. So far, looks bad. Their saving grace is that the league teed up a patsy (Tennessee) in their opener.

BR1986FB;1488981 wrote:In the "keep your enemies close" department, did anyone catch any of the Steelers/Skins game last night? True, only preseason but Pittsburgh's O-Line still looks like crap and Roethlisberger looks like he'd rather be somewhere else. Haley's offense seems to be trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. More of a dink & dunk type system while establishing a running game. So far, looks bad. Their saving grace is that the league teed up a patsy (Tennessee) in their opener.

They lost to the Titans last year, so hopefully they have a great (i.e. horrible) start to the season!

Brandon Weeden - QB - Browns

The Browns have named Brandon Weeden their starting quarterback, as expected.

The Browns insisted on calling their quarterback spot a competition, even saying last week the battle was "close." Coach Rob Chudzinski admitted Tuesday that was just to see how Weeden would react to being pushed by Jason Campbell. And by all accounts Weeden passed the test with flying colors. Through two preseason games, he's 18-of-25 (72.0 percent) for 229 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Operating Chud's vertical passing scheme flawlessly, there's plenty of QB2 appeal in Weeden. This Browns' offense is going to be significantly improved.

Weeden has improved dramatically in this offense. If everyone stays healthy they will surprise some people. The OL is solid and the receivers are looking much better. Looking forward to the dress rehearsal in week 3.

I honestly hope none of our starters play. Last week's injuries makes me nervous.

Commander of Awesome;1489084 wrote:I honestly hope none of our starters play. Last week's injuries makes me nervous.

Well that's not gonna happen.

Thought this was a good read. Hopefully Rubin gets the national recognition he deserves this season.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2013/08/without_fanfare_cleveland_brow.html

Without fanfare, Cleveland Browns' Ahtyba Rubin keeps motoring, leading by example

By:Tom Reed
The Plain Dealer

BEREA, Ohio – On a rare humid day at Browns training camp, Ahtyba Rubin trotted to the sidelines with the rest of the first-team defense, dropped his helmet and ran two wind sprints across the width of an adjacent practice field.

Nobody joined him. Hardly anyone took notice of the 6--2, 330-pound defensive lineman grinding under the late afternoon sun.

“Just trying to keep my conditioning level up,” Rubin said matter-of-factly.

Before he became one of the hardest-working athletes on the Cleveland sports scene – think Anderson Varejao minus the long hair and longer injury report – Rubin was taught a valuable lesson from his high school coaches in Pensacola, Fla.: Leadership is what you do when nobody else is watching.

Or, in the Browns’ case, only the diehards when you’re sitting 3-10 in December.

He's one of the most, if not the most, underrated defensive linemen in the NFL.
Rubin’s five-year pro career has been marked by double-digit losing seasons and a relentless drive to rise above the Berea dysfunction. He’s led all NFL interior defensive linemen in tackles since 2010 with 209 and has won the respect of every coaching staff for which he’s played.

Put Rubin’s motor and maturity into Gerard Warren’s frame and you would have had a perennial Pro Bowler.

Rookie edge rusher Barkevious Mingo told reporters on Sunday that assistants want “everybody to play more like Rube.” He is the Jack Russell terrier whose master must occasionally hide the tennis ball for fear the old dog might run himself to death.

“He’s one of the most, if not the most, underrated defensive linemen in the NFL,” linebacker D’Qwell Jackson said. “I’ve been around him from Day 1 here and he’s had the same commitment. He’s an extremely good player who simply hasn’t had the notoriety throughout the league.

“He’s the player you want to model your game after – the way he prepares, the way he practices. I try to emulate him and it’s hard to do.”

If one play illustrates Rubin’s effort, it occurred in San Francisco two seasons ago. Naturally, it came in a loss. Not surprisingly, it came at the end of a big play for the offense.

Niners running back Frank Gore skirted the left side of the line and ran for 26 yards. Jackson picks up the story from Browns film study:

“Out of corner of the screen you see Rube running all the way across the field to make the tackle. He ran more than 30 yards and he popped right up like it was nothing.”

Two years ago, Rubin was an integral part of a top-10 defense that gained little acclaim because the only offense came from Phil Dawson’s toe. Last year was a difficult one for Rubin, who was hampered by groin and calf injuries and saw his streak of consecutive games snapped at 55.

He is healthy again and ready to accept a new challenge – playing defensive end in Ray Horton’s 3-4, multi-front scheme alongside Phil Taylor and Desmond Bryant. He’s also worked as a nose guard and tackle in his time with the Browns.

“I’m just happy to be on the team,” said Rubin, who earned a three-year, $27 million contract extension in 2011. “They kept me around for this long. I’ll just keep getting my coaching in and be in the film room and see how it goes on Sundays.”

The Browns are building a good defensive line rotation, buttressed by the young depth Billy Winn, John Hughes and Ishmaa’ily Kitchen provide. Winn and Hughes raved last season about the example Rubin sets. It’s not just about hustle and technique, but little things such as never carrying a cell phone into team meetings.

His quiet leadership and steady production often go unnoticed around the league because of the Browns’ record and his obscurity as an interior defender who doesn’t compile sacks. A year ago, Bleacher Report listed Rubin as the “most overpaid player” on the Browns.

“That’s because people don’t know who he is,” Jackson said. “If we take care of our business this year I will make it my mission to make sure people know who Ahtyba Rubin is.”

The unassuming big man doesn’t require a promoter or a Twitter account. He just needs lots of people inside the organization’s headquarters to catch up to his commitment level.

It’s going to take more than a couple of wind sprints.

Breaking: #Browns trade for former Seattle G John Moffitt has been voided. They get rights back to DL Brian Sanford.

#Browns had some health concerns regarding former Seattle guard Moffitt, sources said. That's why trade was voided.

The Moffit trade has been voided due to his health. Browns get Sanford back if they want him. Edit, COA beat me by a minute.

Commander of Awesome;1489084 wrote:I honestly hope none of our starters play. Last week's injuries makes me nervous.

They'll see very little in the 4th pre-season game but I bet they play plenty this week.