The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 7 matchup between the Browns and Bengals.
Find a breakdown of every Week 7 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Cincinnati | Rank | @ | Cleveland | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -5 | Spread | 5 | ||
| 24 | Implied Total | 19 | ||
| 26.2 | 10 | Points/Gm | 15.8 | 30 |
| 25.3 | 26 | Points All./Gm | 23.5 | 19 |
| 58 | 29 | Plays/Gm | 61.2 | 17 |
| 66.8 | 29 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 61 | 16 |
| 6 | 8 | Off. Yards/Play | 3.9 | 32 |
| 5.3 | 13 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.5 | 19 |
| 37.93% | 26 | Rush% | 37.06% | 28 |
| 62.07% | 7 | Pass% | 62.94% | 5 |
| 49.13% | 25 | Opp. Rush % | 48.36% | 22 |
| 50.87% | 8 | Opp. Pass % | 51.64% | 11 |
- Cincinnati is 1-5 against the Browns with Joe Burrow as the starter.
- The Browns average 2.2 plays per game of 20 or more yards, tied for the fewest in the league.
- The Bengals allow 2.2 plays per game of 20 or more yards, which is 2nd in the league.
- 23.3% of Cincinnati plays run on offense have gained 10 or more yards, 5th in the league.
- 15.5% of Cleveland’s offensive plays have gained 10 or more yards, 30th in the league.
- Cleveland has a -16 sack differential, which is the worst in the league.
- Cincinnati has a -7 sack differential, tied for 27th in the league.
- The Browns average a league-high 5.7 accepted offensive penalties per game.
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Joe Burrow: Burrow has ripped five straight weeks as a QB1 scorer, but Week 6 saw him get there differently.
Burrow did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time since Week 1.
His 208 yards were his fewest since the season opener.
He made up ground (literally) by adding 55 yards rushing, anchored by a 47-yard touchdown run, the longest run of his career and the longest run in franchise history for a quarterback.
Burrow had 39 yards rushing on the season entering Sunday Night.
He has not had a QB1 scoring week against the Browns since the 2020 season.
Burrow has a lousy track record in this matchup, but he is hard to hide from if your alternative is a streamer.
Mainly because the Browns have not been as impenetrable as last season.
Cleveland is still 3rd in the allowed completion rate (58.9%), and they can get after the passer, ranking 3rd in pressure rate (41.1%).
But they allow 7.3 yards per pass attempt (23rd) and 12.4 yards per completion (31st).
They are 18th in passing points allowed per attempt (0.420) and have permitted QB1 scoring weeks in three of their past four games to Jalen Hurts (21.9 points), Jayden Daniels (19.7 points), and Daniel Jones (19.4 points).
The Browns are aggressive on defense, playing man coverage on a league-high 43.7% of snaps.
Burrow has had a dip against man coverage this season, completing 59.3% of his passes (9th) for 6.7 yards per pass attempt (14th), but has 6 touchdowns to only 1 interception.
Against zone coverage, Burrow has completed 79.2% of his throws (2nd) for 8.8 Y/A (5th).
Deshaun Watson: Watson did throw for a season-high 7.3 yards per pass attempt last week, but that was as positive as we can get.
Watson still ended the week as QB26 (8.4 points), throwing for 168 yards.
Cleveland did not score an offensive touchdown.
Watson has not thrown for 200 yards in any game this season.
His lone QB1 scoring week this season came attached to a rushing touchdown.
Watson is ahead of only Will Levis and Bo Nix in passing points per attempt (0.275).
This has come against one of the softest schedules in the NFL, facing the Jaguars, Giants, Raiders, and Commanders to open the year with other games against the Eagles and Cowboys.
With low expectations, he can only be played as a back-end QB2 at this point.
The Bengals allow 6.7 yards per pass attempt (11th), but they have allowed a 5.1% touchdown rate (25th).
This would be a good spot if Watson gave us a game where he ran around effectively.
The Bengals are 31st in rushing yards allowed to quarterbacks.
They have faced Jackson (55 yards) and Daniels (39 yards), but that also includes Jones (56 yards), Jacoby Brissett (32 yards), and Patrick Mahomes (29 yards).
Running Back
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Learn MoreMore Week 7 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Broncos @ Saints | Thursday Night Football |
| Patriots vs. Jaguars | Sunday -- 9:30 a.m. ET (London) |
| Seahawks @ Falcons | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Titans @ Bills | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bengals @ Browns | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Texans @ Packers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Dolphins @ Colts | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Lions @ Vikings | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Eagles @ Giants | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Rams | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Panthers @ Commanders | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Chiefs @ 49ers | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Jets @ Steelers | Sunday Night Football |
| Ravens @ Bucs | Monday Night Football |
| Chargers @ Cardinals | Monday Night Football |