The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 8 matchup between the Browns and Ravens.
Find a breakdown of every Week 8 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Baltimore | Rank | @ | Cleveland | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -10.5 | Spread | 10.5 | ||
| 27.5 | Implied Total | 17 | ||
| 31.1 | 1 | Points/Gm | 15.6 | 29 |
| 25.7 | 26 | Points All./Gm | 23.1 | 18 |
| 63.9 | 10 | Plays/Gm | 63.4 | 11 |
| 62.3 | 17 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 59.9 | 13 |
| 7.2 | 1 | Off. Yards/Play | 4 | 32 |
| 5.7 | 23 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.3 | 15 |
| 53.47% | 1 | Rush% | 35.36% | 29 |
| 46.53% | 32 | Pass% | 64.64% | 4 |
| 33.72% | 3 | Opp. Rush % | 48.21% | 24 |
| 66.28% | 30 | Opp. Pass % | 51.79% | 9 |
- The Ravens are 2nd in the NFL in EPA as a passing offense (74.7 points added).
- The Browns are last in the NFL in EPA as a passing offense (-78.1 points). The next closest team (Carolina) is -50.9.
- Only 35.3% of the Baltimore set of downs reach third down, the lowest rate in the league. The league average is 46%.
- 54.5% of the Cleveland set of downs have reached third down, 30th in the league.
- The Ravens have converted 50% of their third downs when they reach third down, which is 2nd in the NFL.
- The Browns are last in the NFL in third down conversion rate (23.7%).
- 26% of the Baltimore plays have gained 10 or more yards, the highest rate in the league.
- 15.1% of the Cleveland plays have gained 10 or more yards, the lowest rate in the league.
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson: Jackson heard an afternoon of “Jared Goff for MVP” chatter, so he came out and reminded everyone he is arguably playing the best football of his career.
Jackson connected on 17-of-22 passes for 281 yards and 5 touchdowns in Tampa Bay, adding 52 yards rushing.
At this point in the season, Jackson is on pace to complete a career-high 68.2% of his passes and have a career-high 9.1 yards per pass attempt. His 7.6% touchdown rate is behind only his 2019 season.
As a runner, Jackson’s 65 yards per game would be his most since the 2020 season.
There is no better fantasy quarterback than Jackson right now.
Cleveland has not been a bad pass defense by any means and is the best defense Jackson has played since Week 1.
The Browns are second in the NFL in pressure rate (41.3%) and second in completion rate (59.1%).
Cleveland's issue is that they are giving up splash plays at a higher rate than a year ago.
Cleveland has allowed 12.4 yards per completed pass, which is 31st in the league.
26.3% of the passing plays against the Browns have gained 10 or more yards (22nd) while 9.7% have gained 20 or more yards (27th).
In 2023, they were second in passing plays of 10 or more yards (19.9%) and third in rate of plays 20 or more yards (6.7%).
Jackson threw for 9.8 and 9.7 yards per pass attempt in this matchup a year ago.
Browns QB: With Deshaun Watson out for the season, Cleveland can finally turn the page and approach things through a different passer.
The interesting part will be if they decide to go with Dorian Thompson-Robinson or Jameis Winston as the starter this week.
Thompson-Robinson served as the backup last week, and it took him suffering a hand injury for the Browns to turn to Winston.
But with Thompson-Robinson’s status in flux due to that injury and Watson done for the year, the Browns added Bailey Zappe on Tuesday.
As bad as Watson was, our sample with Thompson-Robinson under center has been significantly worse, which is saying something.
Thompson-Robinson came in last week and completed 45.8% (11-of-24) of his passes with 2 interceptions.
Of all quarterbacks to throw a football 50 or more times since the start of last season, Thompson-Robinson has completed 52.2% of his passes, 65th out of 67 quarterbacks.
His 3.8 yards per pass attempt is last on that list.
The player he sits right behind in completion rate is Winston (52.5%), who is also 54th on that same list in yards per pass attempt (5.9).
Gamers have always had an affection for Winston, but he has been rough every time we have seen him since the 2021 season.
I am not expecting a sequel to what we got out of Joe Flacco last season, but we hope to see Winston here because he seems to be the only path to functional production for the passing-game pieces.
If Winston does start, he will be a volatile QB2 for fantasy.
Baltimore has been a giving defense to this point, allowing 19.2 passing points per game, 31st in the league.
The Ravens have given up buckets of garbage-time points, a Winston specialty.
Baltimore has allowed the most passing yards in the fourth quarter this season (709), 123 more yards than the next closest team.
In the fourth quarter, they have allowed a league-high 9 passing touchdowns.
In quarters 1-3, they have allowed 5 passing touchdowns, tied for 8th.
Running Back
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More Week 8 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Vikings @ Rams -- FREE | Thursday Night Football |
| Eagles @ Bengals | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Ravens @ Browns | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Titans @ Lions | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Cardinals @ Dolphins | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jets @ Patriots | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Falcons @ Bucs | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Packers @ Jaguars | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Colts @ Texans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Saints @ Chargers | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Bills @ Seahawks | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Panthers @ Broncos | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Chiefs @ Raiders | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Bears @ Commanders | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Cowboys @ 49ers | Sunday Night Football |
| Giants @ Steelers -- FREE | Monday Night Football |
