Fantasy Football: Bills vs. Browns, Who to Start and Who to Sit

The Buffalo Bills take on the Cleveland Browns in a game that is a black hole for most fantasy football players. If an owner can name one player from either team not named C.J. Spiller that is a starter on their squad, they might be in trouble in 2012. Here is a look at what fantasy football owners need to know about the Bills vs. Browns game.

Quarterbacks: Ryan Fitzpatrick is the veteran of the two starting quarterbacks in this game, but has not played like a fantasy football starter this season for Buffalo. He has 373 yards passing in two games with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He has been average in both games, but is not someone you want to rely on to win games in fantasy. Brandon Weeden is a rookie and is playing like a rookie. In Week 1, he was horrible with four interceptions and in Week 2, he broke 300 yards with two touchdowns. He will remain inconsistent all season and is only a sleeper starter against the Bills' defense.

Running Backs: Fred Jackson was a hot pickup for fantasy football owners this season but is out with an injury. That might end up costing him his job as C.J. Spiller has been amazing this season. Spiller ran for 169 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 and 123 yards and two touchdowns in Week 2. The Browns have allowed two straight 100-yard rushers and Spiller will be the third. He might be one of the best running backs in Week 3 of fantasy football.

Trent Richardson was the first rookie taken in many fantasy football drafts and rewarded his owners with his first 100-yard rushing game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. He only has one touchdown on the season, but is the only real weapon in Cleveland. If you start one person from the Browns, give Richardson a chance.

Wide Receivers: When Mohamed Massaquoi is your best option at receiver, you are in trouble. Massaquoi has eight receptions for 131 yards in the first two games for the Browns while Greg Little has five grabs for 57 yards and a touchdown. If you want to gamble, start one of them, but don't be surprised if it bites you.

Stevie Johnson is the No. 1 guy in Buffalo. In Week 1, Ryan Fitzpatrick targeted him ten times and he only managed four receptions for 55 yards. In Week 2, it was two catches for 56 yards. He did record a touchdown in both games, so owners can rely on him as a No. 2 or 3 receiver in fantasy.

Tight Ends: Buffalo has Scott Chandler, who remains one of the lesser known quality tight ends. He has six receptions for 91 yards and two scores in the first two games. That makes him a reliable low No. 1 tight end in fantasy. In Cleveland, it is Benjamin Watson, but he is not worth bothering with for fantasy purposes.

Defenses: The Cleveland Browns are a team to watch out for defensively in fantasy football. In Week 1, they finished with five turnovers and a touchdown with two sacks. In Week 2, they only had one turnover but six sacks. Either way, it was a decent performance. The Bills were horrid in Week 1 but finished with three turnovers and five sacks, along with a touchdown, in Week 2 against Kansas City. In the Bills vs. Browns game, they are worth the gamble.

Photo by Billy Hathorn.

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