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Browns Defense

Cleveland sees promise in member of sad-sack unit

The Browns locked up linebacker Jamie Collins yesterday, signing the midseason acquisition to a four-year, $50-million deal. It's probably comforting to a player who could have been playing in Super Bowl LI, had the Patriots not traded him to the Browns during the season. Yeah he's playing for a loser, but at least he's set financially.

The Browns certainly have nothing to cling to with last year's defense -- they were terrible, in both NFL terms (where they ranked 30th in yards allowed and 31st in points allowed) and fantasy respects. But they've got to start somewhere, and in Collins they think they have a key player who will be the start of a turnaround.

The table below shows 2016 ranks in terms of fantasy points (1 point for sacks and 2 for takeaways, plus 6 for all defensive and special teams touchdowns), sacks, interceptions, fumbles and takeaways. Very few teams were worse than the Browns in any of those areas. Collins, and the Browns braintrust, have their work cut out for them.

2016 NFL DEFENSIVE RANKS
TeamFPtsTakeSackIntFum
Kansas City11281-31
Minnesota27-9512-144-5
Arizona34-6112-142-3
San Diego44-614-151-39-16
Denver5-67-93-412-144-5
Tampa Bay5-639-114-86-7
Carolina77-924-89-16
Philadelphia81016-189-119-16
Miami911-1319-239-1117-18
NY Giants10-1111-1314-154-819-22
Atlanta10-111616-1818-209-16
Baltimore124-624-261-39-16
Buffalo1323-25818-2024-27
Pittsburgh1414-159-1115-179-16
Oakland152329-112-2
Green Bay1611-136-74-819-22
Seattle17223-421-2219-22
New England1814-1516-1815-179-16
Washington1918-219-1115-1723
Tennessee2023-256-718-2024-27
Chicago21-23321229-3130-32
Houston21-2326-2724-2621-2224-27
Indianapolis21-2326-2719-2329-3117-18
Detroit24-252830-3123-2628-29
Dallas24-2518-211327-288
San Francisco26-2718-2119-2323-269-16
Cincinnati26-2718-2119-234-830-32
New Orleans28172727-286-7
Los Angeles2923-2524-2623-2619-22
Jacksonville3029-3019-233224-27
Cleveland3129-3030-3123-2630-32
NY Jets32312929-3128-29

--Andy Richardson

Fantasy Index