Ford was the best running back for the Browns in 2023, and he could once again be the best running back in Cleveland in 2024 as well. Ford is worth drafting with a mid-round pick in all leagues, especially if Nick Chubb (knee) is limited in his recovery in training camp. Last year, Ford took over for Chubb in Week 2 and averaged a career-best 12.4 PPR points per game. He did that while sharing touches with Kareem Hunt, and Ford showed he can be productive in tandem. This season, Ford could share touches with Chubb or D'Onta Foreman if Chubb is limited to open the year, but the worst-case scenario for everyone in Cleveland would be if all three running backs get touches. Most likely, Ford and Chubb will be the main two options in the Browns backfield, and Ford could help Fantasy managers get off to a good start this season if Chubb is still limited. Ford has plenty of sleeper appeal in 2024.
Fantasy Stats
rushing
receiving
fantasy
Year
yds
Rushing Yards
avg
Average Yards per Rush
td
Rushing Touchdowns
fl
Fumbles Lost
rec
Receptions
yds
Receiving Yards
td
Receiving Touchdowns
fpts
Fantasy Points
fpts/g
Fantasy Points per Game
2024
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
2023
813
3.99
4
1
44
319
5
153
9
2022
12
1.50
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
3y Avg.
412
3.89
2
0
22
160
2
65
4.3
Fantasy News
Browns' Jerome Ford: Modest action in preseason finale
Rotowire
Ford rushed three times for 11 yards in the Browns' 37-33 preseason loss to the Seahawks on Saturday night.
Ford played on the Browns' first two possessions before bowing out of the contest, closing out the exhibition slate with just five carries overall across two games. The light usage isn't surprising, considering Ford is in line to open the regular season as Cleveland's top backfield option while Nick Chubb goes through the final stages of his recovery from last season's devastating knee injury. Ford flashed plenty of encouraging play in a lead role last season following Chubb's injury, but in the early portion of the coming campaign, he'll contend with D'Onta Foreman for touches.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Not in line to play Saturday
Rotowire
Ford isn't expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against Minnesota, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Ford started Cleveland's preseason opener and took two carries for four yards, but for this one he's on the long list of players expected to sit out, joined by QB Deshaun Watson, TE David Njoku and a handful of wide receivers. With fellow running backs Nick Chubb (knee) and Nyheim Hines (knee) still unavailable, Cleveland is left with Pierre Strong, D'Onta Foreman and Aidan Robbins as the backfield options.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Limited work Saturday
Rotowire
Ford carried the ball twice for four yards in Saturday's 23-10 preseason loss to the Packers.
The 24-year-old running back got the start for Cleveland's preseason opener but played only one series before Pierre Strong took over. Ford is expected to begin the regular season as the No. 1 option in the backfield, and even once Nick Chubb (knee) is cleared to return to action, the 2022 fifth-round pick should still have a significant role while Chubb ramps up his workload.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Rejoins practice
Rotowire
Ford (personal) returned to practice Monday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Ford missed practice from Thursday through the weekend to attend to an unspecified personal matter. He remains the favorite to lead Cleveland's backfield if Nick Chubb (knee) isn't ready by Week 1, but it could be a committee situation with D'Onta Foreman, Pierre Strong and/or Nyheim Hines (knee) also having roles.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Limited to 26 total yards
Rotowire
Ford rushed the ball nine times for 17 yards in Saturday's 45-14 loss to the Texans. He added four receptions on four targets for 15 yards.
Ford fell slightly behind Kareem Hunt in total workload out of the backfield and lost out on touches near the goal line and as a receiver. Even when he did have the ball in his hands, he was held in check by the Texans' defense to turn in a disappointing final game of the campaign. Overall, Ford had the chance to serve as Cleveland's lead back for much of the season due to Nick Chubb (knee) being sidelined and managed an impressive nine total touchdowns with 1,132 yards from scrimmage in the regular season. Chubb's status from a health and contract perspective is ambiguous at this point, so Ford may maintain a significant role in Cleveland's offense in 2024.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Active but may not play
Rotowire
Ford isn't expected to play Sunday against the Bengals, despite being in uniform for pregame warmups, Tony Grossi of 850 ESPN Cleveland reports.
Ford is active for the game, but with the Browns locked in as the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs, he looks to be one of several Cleveland starters who will get little or no playing time as the team prioritizes his health ahead of the wild-card round. Pierre Strong -- typically the third man on the depth chart -- was spotted working out with the first-team offense in warmups and could end up serving as Cleveland's lead back, while Kareem Hunt may stick as the No. 2 option ahead of Ford.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Full practice participant
Rotowire
Ford (wrist) was a full practice participant Thursday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Ford returned to a Week 14 contest after suffering the wrist injury and then played through it last week in a 20-17 win over the Bears. The bigger problems for his fantasy value are Cleveland's terrible injury luck on the offensive line and the reality that Kareem Hunt and Pierre Strong are combining for 35-to-50 percent of the backfield work most weeks. It'll likely be the same story this Sunday at Houston.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: RBs to Sit
Rotowire
Ford scored at least 11.9 PPR points in six games in a row prior to Week 15 against Chicago when he was held to eight carries for 20 yards and four catches for 11 yards on five targets. It was a bad matchup against the Bears, and this is another tough matchup against the Texans. Houston hasn't allowed a running back to score on the ground in five games in a row, and only Breece Hall caught a touchdown against the Texans in Week 14. They just dominated Derrick Henry, holding him to 16 carries for 9 yards and four catches for 1 yard on four targets. Ford also continues to split playing time with Kareem Hunt, and I would only use Ford as a flex option in most leagues in Week 16.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Held in check Sunday
Rotowire
Ford carried the ball eight times for 20 yards and caught four of five targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 20-17 win over the Bears.
The second-year RB posted his lowest scrimmage yards total of the season after dealing with a wrist issue in practice during the week, but it was still enough to lead the Cleveland backfield as Kareem Hunt managed just 20 yards on eight touches. Ford remains the top fantasy option of the duo, particularly as a result of taking over primary receiving-back duties -- he's caught at least three passes in four straight games, posting a 16-89-1 line on 21 targets over that stretch in addition to his 155 rushing yards. Ford will look to rebound in Week 16 against the Texans.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Another limited session
Rotowire
Ford (wrist) remained limited at practice Thursday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Following back-to-back capped sessions, Ford probably will need to practice fully Friday in order to avoid an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Bears. The same applies to fellow RB Kareem Hunt (groin), who returned to a limited practice Thursday after logging a DNP on Wednesday.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: RBs to Start
Rotowire
Ford has scored at least 11.9 PPR points in five games in a row and six of his past seven outings. He hit 14.9 PPR points in Week 13 at the Rams thanks to a 24-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco, and Ford now has seven catches for 47 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets in his past two games. His role in the passing game should matter in Week 14 against the Jaguars, who lead the NFL in most receptions allowed to running backs with 84. There have been 10 running backs with at least four catches against Jacksonville this season, including Joe Mixon and Devin Singletary with six each in the past two weeks. I hope Flacco remains the quarterback for the Browns because he should lean on Ford quite a bit as a receiver in this matchup.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Expected heavy workload
Rotowire
Ford is expected to have a significant role Week 12 against the Broncos, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.
Cleveland's Week 12 gameplan shouldn't change much from last week -- ride the combination of Ford and Kareem Hunt while making short, manageable throws from rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. What makes the plan enticing is the Broncos' last-in-the-league run defense, which has allowed 160 yards per game. That average is partially skewed by a Week 3 loss to Miami (350 rushing yards), but even on its current four-game win streak, Denver has given up 5.3 yards per carry. Ford, who is now five weeks removed from a high-ankle sprain, could see a heavy workload in Denver.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Sleeper RBs
Rotowire
Ford and Kareem Hunt will be the focal point of the Browns offense with Deshaun Watson (shoulder) now out for the season. And Ford is worth using as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues against the Steelers. He came on for an injured Nick Chubb (knee) against Pittsburgh in Week 2 and had 16 carries for 106 yards and three catches for 25 yards and a touchdown on four targets, and he comes into this game with at least 11.1 PPR points in four of his past five outings. The Steelers have allowed a running back to score at least 13.6 PPR points in four of their past five games, including three rushing touchdowns over that span. Hunt can be considered a flex option this week, and he has six rushing touchdowns in his past five games.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Tops 100 yards against Ravens
Rotowire
Ford rushed the ball 17 times for 107 yards in Sunday's 33-31 win over the Ravens. He added one reception for two yards.
Ford continued to lead the Browns backfield, as he out-touched Kareem Hunt by an 18-10 margin. He recorded his second 100-yard effort of the season and also became only the second back to reach the century mark on the ground against the Ravens. Much of that came on big plays of 28 and 13 yards, though Ford averaged an impressive 6.3 yards per carry overall. Since Cleveland's bye in Week 5, Ford has topped 80 yards from scrimmage in three of five games.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Garners 25 touches in win
Rotowire
Ford rushed 20 times for 44 yards and secured five of seven targets for 33 yards in the Browns' 27-0 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.
Ford outpaced backfield mate Kareem Hunt by six carries, and neither back was able to find much success save for Hunt's short touchdown run against what had been a fairly porous Cardinals run defense. However, Ford was able to partly make up for the inefficient day on the ground with impressive volume as a receiver, and his hefty workload dispelled any concerns about the condition of his previously gimpy ankle. Ford is likely to remain the de facto lead back in a Week 10 road divisional showdown against the Ravens.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Stays limited in practice
Rotowire
Ford (ankle) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Ford is still working his way back from a right high-ankle sprain sustained in the Browns' Week 7 win over the Colts, but the injury didn't stop him from being available for this past Sunday's loss to the Seahawks, albeit in a limited capacity. After following up his nine-carry, one-catch performance in Seattle with two limited practices to begin Week 9 prep, Ford appears on track to play Sunday against the Cardinals, but it's not yet clear if he'll head into the game with an injury designation. If Ford can put in a full practice Friday, it would improve his odds of not only entering the weekend without a designation, but also reclaiming the lead role out of the Cleveland backfield from Kareem Hunt.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Volume decreases
Rotowire
Ford carried the ball nine times for 37 yards in Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Seahawks.
Ford was surprisingly active after suffering an ankle injury in Week 7, though he was on the wrong end of a three-way backfield split for Cleveland. The Browns were clearly monitoring his volume and saved him for the fourth quarter, when he accounted for seven of his nine carries. Ford is unlikely to get a full workload during the second half of the season, though it's realistic to expect his volume to tick back up once his ankle has some time to heal. With that in mind, monitoring his practice participation will be important leading into a Week 9 matchup against the Cardinals.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Missing from practice Thursday
Rotowire
Ford (ankle) isn't participating in Thursday's practice, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
The Browns haven't officially ruled Ford out for Sunday's game against the Seahawks, but with two straight absences from practice to begin Week 8 prep, the running back looks all but guaranteed to sit out this weekend. On a positive note, the Browns remain optimistic that Ford's right high-ankle sprain will keep him out for just 1-to-2 weeks, putting him on track to avoid a stint on injured reserve, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. According to Petrak, Kareem Hunt is scheduled to practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday's session due to a lingering thigh injury, so he'll presumably be in line to lead the backfield in Seattle while Pierre Strong works in a complementary role.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Not practicing Wednesday
Rotowire
Ford (ankle) won't practice Wednesday, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.
Kareem Hunt (thigh) will also sit out Wednesday's session, and with Nick Chubb (knee) done for the season and Jake Trotter of ESPN.com having already reported that Ford is expected to miss 1-to-2 weeks, it's not surprising that the Browns signed Nate McCrary and Jordan Wilkins to the practice squad this week to add healthy bodies to a depleted running back room. For now, Pierre Strong profiles as the healthiest back on Cleveland's roster, though Hunt would likely serve as the Browns' lead option Sunday in Seattle if he can overcome his own thigh injury.
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Browns' Jerome Ford: Knee issue downplayed
Rotowire
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt noted Thursday that Ford's knee issue isn't a concern ahead of Sunday's game against the 49ers, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Ford was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, but it appears as though his limitations were maintenance related. That said, the Browns' top running back will need to practice fully by Friday in order to avoid a Week 6 injury designation.
