One thing is for sure, Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb has the chips stacked against him for 2024, coming off his second serious career knee injury from football. There is optimism that he can fully recover and make an impact this coming season, but when is the big question.
A fully healthy Chubb is an offensive machine for fantasy, despite not catching many passes as a big power back with speed and splitting work with other backs. Still, in 2022, he was a top-five to six running back in the NFL for fantasy, so it is a big question mark if he can ever get back to that form due to his age. 2023, like other notable players, was a wash due to injury, but can Nick Chubb be a steal worth taking in the middle of fantasy drafts assuming no setbacks in 2024?
Nick Chubb 2023 Stats and Production
Nick Chubb, when healthy, is one of the best pure running backs in the NFL, with four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons on the ground. He was four yards shy from 1,000 as a rookie and has been a force since Chubb entered the league as a former second-rounder from Georgia in 2018. Chubb set career highs for the Cleveland Browns in 2022, with 1,525 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
In Week 2 of the 2023 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he suffered a season-ending torn MCL and a damaged ACL. This was the same knee from 2015 that he injured in college, tearing his MCL, PCL, hamstring, and LCL while suffering a knee dislocation at the same time. Chubb underwent two different surgeries, one in September for his medial capsule, meniscus, and MCL in his left knee and the other for his ACL in November.
Nick Chubb 2024 Fantasy Outlook
Although Nick Chubb is a better fantasy running back for standard compared to PPR, he was still a round two or three selection in most drafts heading into 2023. Now, he is the 32nd-ranked running back and has an ADP of around 102, making him a 10th-round selection in PPR according to FantasyPros. For 2024, the Browns veteran has the seventh easiest schedule against running backs on paper, potentially a value worth the risk that late.
In standard, Chubb’s ADP rises to 80th overall and 89th in half PPR, making him an eighth or ninth-round pick in those formats that value touchdowns more. Assuming he is at full strength when he steps onto the field, the productive tackle breaker could be a valuable running back three gamble past the middle of fantasy drafts. Chubb is being drafted among names like Zach Moss, D’Andre Swift, and Zamir White depending on the format.
Final Thoughts On Nick Chubb
The Browns have Jerome Ford on the roster, a young starter who filled in nicely last year for Nick Chubb. Along with veteran free agent D’Onta Foreman who can shoulder the workload, Cleveland is prepared to be patient with the All-Pro and Pro Bowl running back. They also signed Nyheim Hines in free agency to be their pass-catching weapon. In his first press conference since the injury, the 28-year-old opened up about his recovery and the strides he’s making:
“I’m not looking too far ahead,” Chubb said on Wednesday to the media including ESPN. “I’m just taking it day by day. I like where I’m at. I’m where I need to be.”
They also restructured his contract this offseason, as the Cleveland star has recently been able to do more in rehab but still is in the early stages. For fantasy, Nick Chubb is certainly a stash as a middle-round pick, to hopefully reap the rewards during the crux of the year. Optimistically, I would expect him to come back hopefully by the mid-way point or earlier, as the Browns should take a conservative approach.
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Previously wrote for Fansided NFL Mocks, Pro Football Network, uInterview and uSports, The Crafty Kit, The Daily Culture, and Ironiq Media. Recent Journalism/ Media Studies Grad and wrote for Impact News, the award-winning news publication of Mercy College, now Mercy University.
Now writing for Total Apex, mostly sports like the NFL, college football, the NFL draft, and fantasy football, along with covering my favorite team, the Baltimore Ravens. Also writing for Total Apex E&G about my favorite movies, shows, anime, and sometimes gaming. You can follow me on Instagram @kimandrew1357 and Twitter (aka X) @kookykim1357.
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