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Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was typically one of the best quarterbacks selected among fantasy leagues in 2019. And chances are if you selected him in your league, you lost as noted by Corey Parson, a fantasy analyst for Sports Illustrated. And it was probably an almost weekly taunt in which he would start the games in the script, giving fantasy owners the hope that he would do so only for mediocre results.
There were a number of factors that came into play with Mayfield’s regression last year. Problems with training, injuries, and just not playing well enough, Mayfield went from rookie feeling to a really bad bet for fantasy owners in the second year.
Between an improvement in the offensive tackle position, adding Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills as what should be more stability on the right guard, protection should be better. Kevin Stefanski is a rookie head coach, but he looks more organized and prepared than Freddie Kitchens last year, which caused a number of problems.
Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry played in pain all last year, affecting their ability to practice and contribute throughout the season. Rashard Higgins was injured almost immediately against the Tennessee Titans, and David Njoku broke the scaphoid on his wrist the following week. If those players are just healthy, it would benefit Mayfield, but they also added Austin Hooper in free agency.
The impact of COVID-19 has not yet been fully realized and could limit the amount of field practice that Mayfield and the Browns have adapted for this new offense. So while it seems like Mayfield should go back to numbers much more similar to his rookie year, it might be unrealistic to expect him to go much beyond them. As a result, Mayfield might be a decent fantasy play, but it’s not going to hit drafts as high as last year.
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