RB · CLE · GWTTKB

Jerome Ford — fantasy football 2026

Every game, every stat category, and what the board says. 3.35 points per game in 2025, an ADP of 170, usage worth 5.1.

26 years old · 4 seasons of experience · 2022 draft class

Updated 2026-08-16 · free, no account, no paywall
Every figure below comes from our database. Where a stat is not held, the row is absent rather than zero.
ADP 170
Consensus across 1 books, 0 picks between cheapest and priciest. Cheapest on underdog, priciest on espn.
ESPN170
UNDERDOG216
FFA283

Draft-room facts

Goes aroundRound 15, pick 2 in a 12-team draft
Positional rankRB81

The offense he plays in, 2026

Cleveland Browns returns 2 of 6 continuity slots, replacing qb1, te1, hc, oc. Deshaun Watson at quarterback, Todd Monken as head coach, Travis Switzer calling it. The offense projects to 32.2 pass attempts a game at low confidence and 25.9 rushes.

In: Deshaun Watson (qb), KC Concepcion (wr2), Denzel Boston (wr4), Tylan Wallace (wr5), Ahmani Marshall (rb4), Jack Stoll (te2). Out: Dillon Gabriel (qb), Jamari Thrash (wr3), David Njoku (te1).

The projected carry split across the offense:

Quinshon Judkins58.9%
Dylan Sampson20.5%
Raheim Sanders17.7%
Ahmani Marshall2.9%

Our written view on this offense in 2026

What the offense looks like: Historically, this has been a brutal offense to own in fantasy. Other than TE and RB, not much fantasy relevance has come out of Cleveland in some time. Things could change with the new O line & KC & Boston arriving. Cleveland HAS to figure out the QB situation before we can have full confidence in any of these players, but the pieces may be falling in place for multiple guys to be weekly starters.

Key additions: MASSIVE OVERHAUL for browns line this offseason: Brought in LG Zion Johnson, Center Elgton Jenkins, RT Tytus Howard, & drafted LT Spencer Fano in the 1st round. Its a completely new unit under HC Todd Monken.

Key departures: TE David Njoku left the Browns & is still a free agent. Only key loss.

Notes: Browns drafted OT Spencer Fano RD 1 & WR KC Concepcion RD 1 in 2026 draft. Round 2 they took Denzel Boston. Concepcion & Boston can have fantasy value IF Cleveland figures out QB position. Browns fired HC Stefanski & hired Jesse Minter. Jerry Jeudy will likely struggle to have real fantasy value with the new rookies introduced. Harold Fannin has strong value with David Njoku leaving Cleveland. Njoku is still a free agent & COULD potentially return to Cleveland but it is unlikely. RB Quinshon Judkins was a real star of the Browns offense in 2025 and far outperformed Dylan Sampson. Judkins should be 100% recovered from his season ending leg injury he suffered in 2025 by week 1 2026.

How the volume number was reached: New QB Deshaun Watson, avg 29.7 att/g over 2024,2023; Regressed 65% toward league mean 33.5, floored at 30 → 32.2 att/g; New OC Travis Switzer — pass rate and tempo may shift; New HC Todd Monken.

Offensive environment: CLE rates 18.5 against a league average of 23, 4.5 below it on opponent-adjusted least squares (multi-capture merge).

2026 schedule

Opponent-adjusted run defense faced, against 2025 ratings. Positive is an easier slate.

Full season+1.9 · easier
Weeks 1–6+2.5 · easier
Weeks 12–17+7.4 · easier
Fantasy playoffs (15–17)+4.4 · easier

Read this narrowly. Our own testing found that season-long strength of schedule does not survive as a draft input — defensive quality is among the least stable team properties year to year, and a preseason slate is built on last year's identities. The playoff-weeks column is the only one we would let break a tie, and even then it is a tiebreaker rather than a reason. The finding.

What happened when he missed time

From the absence record rather than a depth chart — who actually gained when he was out.

SeasonGames missedMain beneficiaryTheir PPR gain
20243Nick Chubb+-0.3

Dynasty context not redraft

Everything in this section is about his dynasty trade value — what he is worth as a long-term asset in the trade market. It is not a forecast of his 2026 fantasy scoring. A player can be a fine redraft pick while his dynasty value falls, and the reverse. The redraft read is above; this is a different question with a different answer.

Where he sits in the dynasty value cycle

His dynasty value has moved -30.9% over the last twelve months. The market cycle classifies him as post-crash. The base rate that applies: after a -25% crash, RBs recover only 15% of the time (keep falling 85%).

For context on how long this lasts at the position: the average career at his position produces 1.7 elite seasons and 2.4 startable seasons.

The five most similar seasons, and what their dynasty value did next

Matched on production profile — production-driven (pedigree ignored). The last column is how that player’s dynasty value moved the following year — a market outcome, not a scoring one.

PlayerSeasonTheir PPGSimilarityNext year
Nyheim Miller-Hines20225.171%-42.4%
Ty Johnson20245.467%+2.3%
Salvon Ahmed20236.161%-47.2%
Kenneth Gainwell20225.260%-10.9%
Jerick McKinnon2023759%-44.9%

Of the 5 with a following season on record, 1 gained value, 4 lost it and 0 held roughly flat.

Four years of dynasty value

02,0004,0002023202420252026
Monthly superflex value, 2022-03 to 2026-07. Up 12% across the series, peaking at 3,173.

The player

Draft capital and athletic profile

Drafted2022, round 5, pick 156 by CLE
CollegeCincinnati
Age at draft22
Height5′11″
Weight210 lb
40-yard dash4.46s
Vertical31″
Broad jump118″

Availability and volatility

Career PPR per game6.5
Week-to-week variation1
Boom rate6.7%
Bust rate42.2%
Games missed per season0.8
Injury historyHamstring, Ankle
Correlation between his posted line and his actual score0.69

That correlation is how closely the books’ posted line tracked what he actually scored, week to week. A higher number means the market has him figured out and there is less to exploit; a lower one means his weeks are harder to price.

Injury type matters more than games missed. Measured across our injury database, knee and foot returns stay below a player’s pre-injury baseline for all three of the first games back, while hamstring returns over-recover by the third.

The record, season by season

2025 · CLE · 13 games

His best game was Week 2 against BAL — 10.4 PPR on 12 touches and a 14.6% target share, in a game that finished 17-41. His worst was Week 12 against LV at -0.3, on 1 touches, final score 24-10. Across 13 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 11 times. In the 6 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 2.6; in the 7 decided by more, 4. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 5.1 points per game. He scored 3.35, 33.8% below it. The engine classified the season as very_unlucky.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsCarRushTDTgt%Snap%
1CIN16-171.511-36802.4%54%
2BAL17-4110.45623631014.6%48%
3GB13-105441000012.1%36%
4DET10-341.31241-105.9%27%
5MIN17-215.8222051806.3%37%
6PIT9-2385613217011.8%40%
7MIA31-63221010011.1%23%
8NE13-320.912-10006.1%24%
10NYJ20-270.10101103.1%19%
11BAL16-230.20001200%31%
12LV24-10-0.30001-300%16%
13SF8-264.7331700013%22%
14TEN29-31323100007.9%19%

Production

Receptions26
Targets32
Receiving yards103
Carries24
Rushing yards73
Touchdowns0
Points per game3.35
Yards per target3.22
Catch rate81.25%
Yards per carry3.04

Role

Snap share30.46%
Target share7.25%
Air-yards share-1.45%
WOPR0.098
RACR-2.055

Efficiency

Average depth of target-1.5
Yards after catch per reception5.9
Yards before catch per reception-2
Total YAC154
Broken tackles2
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted80.1
Receiving EPA per game-0.43
Rushing EPA per game-0.23

Scoring position

Red-zone targets6
Red-zone target share10.9%
End-zone target share0%
Red-zone carry share6.8%
Goal-line carry share13.6%
Expected receiving TDs0.89
Actual receiving TDs0
Receiving TD luck-0.89
Expected rushing TDs1.32

Who else ate

The offense threw it 557 times. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Harold Fannin Jr.20.54%
Jerry Jeudy20.35%
David Njoku9.21%
Isaiah Bond8.45%
Dylan Sampson7.68%
Cedric Tillman7.49%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 3 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Dillon Gabriel5133.563.237.68%
Joe Flacco4134.552.628.75%
Shedeur Sanders461.94.55.22%

Blowouts against close games

5 of his 13 games were blowouts, 46.6% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 4.06 in those and 2.6 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2024 · CLE · 14 games

His best game was Week 16 against CIN — 24.1 PPR on 16 touches and a 16.1% target share, in a game that finished 6-24. His worst was Week 6 against PHI at 1.4, on 2 touches, final score 16-20. Across 14 games he cleared 20 points 1 time and came in under 8 points 9 times. In the 5 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 7.6; in the 9 decided by more, 10.7. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 9.6 points per game. He scored 9.57, 0.1% below it. The engine classified the season as neutral.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsCarRushTDTgt%Snap%
1DAL17-3318.967251244116.3%75%
2JAX18-137.412076406.1%44%
3NYG15-211034331037011.4%79%
4LV16-2015.577271058021.9%78%
5WAS13-347.9332947010.7%58%
6PHI16-201.400021400%7%
9LAC10-271.71322506.5%46%
11NO14-357.9442951008.9%56%
12PIT24-193.711841903.7%34%
13DEN32-417.2112194101.8%66%
14PIT14-277.734191028010.8%56%
15KC7-2118.4222078416.3%58%
16CIN6-2424.155391192116.1%80%
17MIA3-202.200062200%19%

Production

Receptions37
Targets43
Receiving yards225
Carries104
Rushing yards565
Touchdowns3
Points per game9.57
Yards per target5.23
Catch rate86.05%
Yards per carry5.43

Role

Snap share54%
Target share8.61%
Air-yards share-1.22%
WOPR0.12
RACR-0.471

Efficiency

Average depth of target-0.3
Yards after catch per reception7.9
Yards before catch per reception-1.9
Total YAC294
Broken tackles7
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted88.5
Rushing yards over expected0
Receiving EPA per game-0.35
Rushing EPA per game0.36

Scoring position

Red-zone targets1
Red-zone target share1.6%
End-zone target share0%
Red-zone carry share19.6%
Goal-line carry share16.7%
Expected receiving TDs0.14
Actual receiving TDs0
Receiving TD luck-0.14
Expected rushing TDs1.94

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 100+ carries pool that season:

Points per game33 of 46
Yards per target30 of 46
Target share28 of 46
Air-yards share30 of 46

Who else ate

The offense threw it 661 times. 3 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Jerry Jeudy22.87%
Elijah Moore16.09%
David Njoku15.3%
Jordan Akins9.15%
Amari Cooper8.36%
Cedric Tillman7.73%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 3 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Deshaun Watson62310.183.7811.07%
Jameis Winston6157.776.66.33%
Dorian Thompson-Robinson2513.157.88.05%

Blowouts against close games

5 of his 14 games were blowouts, 32.7% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 8.76 in those and 7.6 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2023 · CLE · 17 games

His best game was Week 17 against NYJ — 26.1 PPR on 15 touches and a 10.3% target share, in a game that finished 37-20. His worst was Week 1 against CIN at 1.6, on 15 touches, final score 24-3. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 2 times and came in under 8 points 4 times. In the 8 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 12.7; in the 9 decided by more, 12.2. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 12.6 points per game. He scored 12.42, 3% below it. The engine classified the season as neutral. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 3 against 1.29 expected, a gap of 1.7.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsCarRushTDTgt%Snap%
1CIN24-31.6000153600%41%
2PIT22-2624.1342516106110%49%
3TEN27-319.12333101829.7%56%
4BAL3-289.55619926017.6%62%
6SF19-1711.1227178406.1%50%
7IND39-3817.424201174111.4%43%
8SEA20-244.912293706.7%33%
9ARI27-012.757332044025%64%
10BAL33-3111.91121710703.1%64%
11PIT13-1011.92581231112.2%49%
12DEN12-2911.94714965017.9%70%
13LA19-3614.2333391917.3%51%
14JAX31-2713.256311251014%57%
15CHI20-177.14511820011.4%51%
16HOU36-229.312-2152514.7%43%
17NYJ37-2026.123571264210.3%40%
18CIN14-315.2232636012%36%

Production

Receptions44
Targets63
Receiving yards319
Carries204
Rushing yards813
Touchdowns9
Points per game12.42
Yards per target5.06
Catch rate69.84%
Yards per carry3.99

Role

Snap share50.53%
Target share10.55%
Air-yards share0.59%
WOPR0.163
RACR3.682

Efficiency

Average depth of target0.5
Yards after catch per reception6.9
Yards before catch per reception0.3
Total YAC304
Broken tackles4
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted107.8
Rushing yards over expected0
Receiving EPA per game-0.36
Rushing EPA per game-2.13

Scoring position

Red-zone targets6
Red-zone target share8.3%
End-zone target share6.3%
Red-zone carry share21.9%
Goal-line carry share21.1%
Expected receiving TDs1.29
Actual receiving TDs3
Receiving TD luck1.71
Expected rushing TDs2.71

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 100+ carries pool that season:

Points per game25 of 49
Yards per target29 of 49
Target share21 of 49
Air-yards share7 of 49

Who else ate

The offense threw it 624 times. He took 10.55% of the targets. 3 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Amari Cooper21.44%
David Njoku20.6%
Elijah Moore17.42%
Jerome Ford 10.55%
Cedric Tillman7.37%
Jordan Akins3.85%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 5 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Deshaun Watson51513.886.29.56%
Joe Flacco51913.986.849.54%
Dorian Thompson-Robinson31811.12.2815.9%
P.J. Walker3811.133.638.07%
Jeff Driskel135.28.6712%

Blowouts against close games

8 of his 17 games were blowouts, 47.5% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 12.54 in those and 12.7 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2022 · CLE · 13 games

His best game was Week 17 against WAS — 0.9 PPR on 5 touches and a 0% target share, in a game that finished 24-10. His worst was Week 18 against PIT at 0, on 0 touches, final score 14-28. Across 13 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 13 times. In the 6 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 0; in the 7 decided by more, 0.2. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 2.5 points per game. He scored 0.09, 76% below it. The engine classified the season as low_volume.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsCarRushTDTgt%Snap%
1CAR26-2400000000%0%
2NYJ30-3100000000%0%
3PIT29-1700000000%0%
4ATL20-2300000000%0%
10MIA17-3900000000%0%
11BUF23-3100000000%0%
12TB23-1700000000%0%
13HOU27-140.30003300%11%
14CIN10-2300000000%0%
15BAL13-300000000%0%
16NO10-1700000000%0%
17WAS24-100.90005900%12%
18PIT14-2800000000%0%

Production

Receptions0
Targets0
Receiving yards0
Carries8
Rushing yards12
Touchdowns0
Points per game0.09
Yards per carry1.5

Role

Snap share1.77%
Target share0%
Air-yards share0%
WOPR0
RACR0

Efficiency

Receiving EPA per game0
Rushing EPA per game-0.26

Who else ate

The offense threw it 540 times. 3 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Amari Cooper26.09%
Donovan Peoples-Jones18.97%
David Njoku15.81%
Kareem Hunt8.7%
Harrison Bryant8.3%
Nick Chubb7.31%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Jacoby Brissett7000%
Deshaun Watson600.20%

Blowouts against close games

1 of his 13 games were blowouts, 0% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 0 in those and 0 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

Ask the Coach about Jerome Ford →
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