The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Browns vs. Steelers Week 8 matchup.
Find a breakdown of every Week 8 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Cleveland | Rank | @ | Pittsburgh | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 | Spread | -3.5 | ||
| 18.0 | Implied Total | 21.5 | ||
| 19.0 | 28 | Points/Gm | 21.9 | 22 |
| 20.9 | 12 | Points All./Gm | 19.7 | 5 |
| 60.0 | 24 | Plays/Gm | 63.9 | 11 |
| 63.0 | 17 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 61.0 | 12 |
| 5.0 | 23 | Off. Yards/Play | 5.1 | 22 |
| 5 | 11 | Def. Yards/Play | 5 | 7 |
| 43.8% | 15 | Rush% | 35.8% | 31 |
| 56.2% | 18 | Pass% | 64.2% | 2 |
| 41.7% | 15 | Opp. Rush % | 39.8% | 8 |
| 58.3% | 18 | Opp. Pass % | 60.2% | 25 |
- The Browns are 2-26 on the road in Pittsburgh since 2000, including 22 consecutive regular-season losses.
- The Browns have led for 20.5% of their offensive plays, 26th in the league and the lowest rate among teams with a winning record.
- The Browns have been outscored 58-13 in the first quarter this season, the league's worst margin.
- Cleveland allows 4.9 sacks plus turnovers per game, 31st in the league.
- The Steelers are allowing 1.75 points per drive, 4th in the league.
- The Browns are allowing 1.87 points per drive, 8th.
- Cleveland has a 63% success rate against the pass (3rd) compared to 58.7% against the run (23rd).
- 20.9% of Pittsburgh's passing plays have gained 10 or more yards, 29th in the league.
- 92.9% (13 of 14) of Pittsburgh's touchdowns have come through the air, the highest rate in the league.
- The Steelers have thrown the ball on a league-high 68.6% of red-zone plays.
- Pittsburgh has converted 47.4% (9 of 19) of its red-zone trips into touchdowns, 27th in the league.
- The Steelers have the lowest success rate on passing plays targeting wide receivers (39.9%). The league average is 48.8%.
Trust = spike production for that player
Browns vs. Steelers Fantasy Quarterback Preview
Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers is completing 61.6% of his passes (24th) for just 6.5 yards per attempt (23rd), but a 4.9% touchdown rate (12th) and 40.9 dropbacks per game (6th) keep him in play as a viable QB2 with three QB1 scoring weeks.
One of those was against Cleveland in Week 4.
Rodgers was the QB5 (22 points), completing 22 of 40 passes (55%) for 299 yards (7.5 Y/A) with 3 touchdowns, a two-point conversion, and 2 interceptions.
Rodgers scored 14.2 of his fantasy points in the fourth quarter that night chasing points.
In the first matchup, Rodgers was 13 of 26 (50%) for 145 yards (5.6 Y/A) with a touchdown and an interception heading into the final quarter, then had 154 yards (11.0 Y/A) with 2 touchdowns and an interception in the final quarter.
The Browns have kept games close, so that remains a possibility, but both teams have split home-field wins over the past five seasons, so chasing previous outcomes in season hasn't worked.
As noted above, the Steelers have dominated this rivalry at home.
I prefer to use Rodgers as a QB2 in the rematch, not playing for the same jailbreak game script.
The Browns played man coverage on 71.1% of the snaps in the first matchup.
Rodgers sees the most man coverage in the league (40.4%), but averages only 6.0 Y/A (22nd) with a 51.8% completion rate (27th) against it.
He went 13 of 28 (46.4%) against man coverage in the first matchup but did average 7.6 Y/A with 2 touchdowns.
The Browns sacked him 5 times and pressured Rodgers on a season-high 42.2% rate.
Deshaun Watson
Watson is coming off his second QB1 scoring week of the season in Tennessee.
He did not throw a touchdown, but he ran one in while throwing for a season-high 308 yards.
Watson has been at his best this season when the Browns rein him in, keep the ball short, and let their playmakers do the work after the catch.
They had 201 yards after the catch on Sunday, the second-most in the league.
56.4% of Watson's passing yards this season have come after the catch, a career high.
Watson has only thrown 29.7% of his passes 10 or more yards downfield (28th).
When he has thrown those passes, he has completed 43.1% (25 of 58), 25th in the league.
Watson is a QB2 here.
He was the QB21 (12.9 points) in the first matchup, completing 24 of 33 passes (72.7%) for 268 yards (8.1 Y/A) with a touchdown and an interception, rushing for 22 yards.
That was in a game where Jamel Dean left with an injury.
Pittsburgh has played sound pass defense overall, allowing 11.2 passing points per game (4th), 6.7 yards per pass attempt (14th), and a 2.9% touchdown rate (4th).
Browns vs. Steelers Fantasy Running Back Preview
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LEARN ABOUT FANTASYMore Week 8 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Week 8 NFL Games | Time |
|---|---|
| Panthers @ Packers | Thursday Night Football |
| Colts @ Jaguars | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Ravens @ Bills | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Titans @ Bengals | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Cardinals @ Cowboys | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Vikings @ Lions | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Jets | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Browns @ Steelers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Falcons @ Buccaneers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Chargers @ Rams | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Chiefs @ Broncos | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Patriots @ Dolphins | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Eagles @ Commanders | Sunday Night Football |
| Bears @ Seahawks | Monday Night Football |