The Week 10 matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals is the renewal of a timeless inter-state rivalry. We've got the fantasy projections for you courtesy of numberFire.
Cleveland Browns
Wide receiver Andrew Hawkins (thigh/knee) is considered a game-time decision for the Thursday Night Football matchup with the Bengals, but given the Browns are thin at receiver, all signs point to him playing. That likely means a slew of targets for him and his fantasy owners against a Bengals defense that has been subpar in many of their games this year. Hawkins could only nab three of eight targets last week, so fantasy owners just may get a bounce-back effort on Thursday.
In terms of the Browns' running game, its looking like the ball will go back into the hands of rookie Terrence West this week, further handcuffing owners as coach Mike Pettine seems committed to a committee system on the ground moving forward. Isaiah Crowell has been ineffective of late and it looks like Ben Tate isn't doing enough, either, despite being the team's starting rusher in Week 9. West seems like the guy most likely to provide fantasy owners some value in light of all that going into this week's game against the Bengals.
Cincinnati Bengals
After aggravating his toe injury and missing three straight games, wide receiver A.J. Green made his return to the lineup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9. He only caught three passes, but one of them was a touchdown , which saved an otherwise quiet return to fantasy lineups. The good news is he says he feels great again and should be able to dominate the Browns on Thursday, even though he'll be up against cornerback Joe Haden all night.
The one pleasant surprise last week was that Mohamed Sanu didn't see a drop in production as a result of Green's return. He caught four passes for 95 yards and a touchdown last week and was still targeted eight times in the game with Green opposite him. With the Bengals dealing with a hip injury to Giovani Bernard and rookie Jeremy Hill leading the charge on the ground, Sanu could be busy in Week 10 should the Bengals struggle running the ball early. Fantasy owners will likely be happy with Sanu's production as a result.