AFC North Fantasy Football Rankings: Will the Cleveland Browns offense deliver?
Fantasy football analyst Matt Harmon hands out grades to every NFL team based on their fantasy juice for 2023. Check out the AFC North grades below — go here for his full AFC rundown.
Pittsburgh Steelers: C+
I’m high on the Steelers' potential but wanted to be realistic. Quarterback Kenny Pickett showed he can play as a rookie but his ceiling remains an open question. I love his ability to improvise and stay poised in chaos. Najee Harris is a grinder back who has handled a really heavy workload over two seasons. That’s a skill. Pittsburgh also found a nice change of pace option in last year’s UDFA Jaylen Warren. Harris is the feature back but Warren should be an effective second pitch.
The pass-catchers are really intriguing. Diontae Johnson is an elite route runner but slightly mistake-prone. He’s over-criticized, though, and could have the best season of his career from an efficiency standpoint with a young non-rookie passer. George Pickens has some flaws as a separator but he looks like a quality X-receiver with great hands and big-play potential. Pat Freiermuth is a rock solid tight end who is one of my favorite fantasy picks at the position. And I know no one wants to hear it, but Allen Robinson is a much better fit as a slot receiver for this team than the X-receiver role he played last season in LA.
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I went conservative with the final grade but if Pickett is good, this unit is quite talented.
Cleveland Browns: B-
I’ll openly admit to struggling with the Browns. Deshaun Watson just makes this a near-impossible exercise. If Watson is the player he was last season, this grade is ridiculously high. I tend to think he will play better with a normal offseason ahead but may not reach his Houston heights. Nick Chubb is the central figure of this attack either way. He has a case to be named the best back in the league, especially as a runner, and could lead the league in rushing this season.
The pass-catching room is much better than last year. Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones are the holdover receivers. Cooper is coming off the best season of his career. He’s an inconsistent player but should be able to repeat his efforts in 2023 as the Browns’ X receiver. DPJ would be best suited as a WR3 and that should be able to be the case this year with Elijah Moore in the fold. Moore is a “watch the games” player because you need to isolate him from quarterback play to appreciate his separation ability. There’s depth in the receiver room too with Cedric Tillman of the 2023 class being the most interesting. David Njoku is solid starting two-way tight end who brings size to the table.
Baltimore Ravens: B-
There’s a ton of excitement around the Ravens' offense this season, primarily because of the switch from Greg Roman to the more progressive Todd Monken. The fact that the roster is very talented helps matters quite a bit. Lamar Jackson is signed for the long term now and is a uniquely dynamic talent at the quarterback position. This season will go a long way in proving exactly where his ceiling lies as a passer now that Roman’s offense is gone, and good news, he has the pass-catchers to do it.
Mark Andrews is the established leader of this group at tight end. He’s a dynamic receiver who can threaten defenses in a variety of ways. The receiver trio of Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers has the potential to be excellent. There are obvious questions about all three but I remain particularly bullish on Bateman’s talent to be a true WR1, if he’s healthy. JK Dobbins returns as the starting running back after an efficient end to an injury-plagued 2022 season.
I dinged the Ravens down to B- because a lot of this is projecting based on potential, but I’m quite high on this unit.
Cincinnati Bengals: A+
What needs to be said about the Bengals? They have a top-three quarterback in Joe Burrow who is capable of hitting big plays and spraying the ball accurately as a point guard. He also may have the best feel in the pocket and for navigating tight spaces among all non-Mahomes quarterbacks. Burrow gets to work with an enviable wide receiver trio led by a true alpha in Ja’Marr Chase. The LSU product is great at every facet of playing the wide receiver position. Running mate Tee Higgins could be a No. 1 for a variety of teams and Tyler Boyd is a rock-solid slot.
The running back room is a bit of a question mark after Joe Mixon had a down 2022 season. Tight end is also a lighter spot on the roster. Irv Smith is taking over the career rehab spot from Hayden Hurst and while he’s been a disappointing player, he will get easy looks in this offense.
The Bengals' strengths are elite. That’s good enough to cover over any holes, which especially in the case of running back, may not be a big deal. Let's just hope Burrow getting carted off the practice field recently was just precautionary.
