Fantasy Football Cut-N-Go: Which Browns Back Should You Run With?

Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's weekday roundup of the NFL news with fantasy football impact.

It all started with an innocent comment by Browns left tackle Joe Thomas.

Canton Repository writer Steve Doerschuk reported earlier this week that Eric Mangini liked Thomas' idea of turning Joshua Cribbs into conventional running back, instead of just using him in Wildcat formations. However, Mangini later backpedaled a bit.

Head Coach Eric Mangini, though, said he must guard against getting carried away.

Addressing the press Monday for the first time in three days, Mangini responded to left tackle Joe Thomas' opinion that Cribbs, who currently runs almost exclusively after taking direct snaps as a Wildcat quarterback, would make a great conventional running back.

"That's something I wouldn't be opposed to," said Mangini, who is preparing for the team's final road game, Sunday at Kansas City.

Yet, Mangini also said, "I like the role he has now," and added, "We don't want to use him so much that it becomes a law of diminishing returns."

By the looks of that, Cribbs may be stuck in his current role of Wildcat rusher and return specialist. That said, if Cribbs isn't going to be the featured back, who will be -- Jerome Harrison or Chris Jennings?

Heading into their Week 14 game against Pittsburgh, it looked like Harrison was going to be the man. But he only got seven carries and didn't do much with those, gaining only nine yards. On the other hand, Jennings carried the ball 20 times for 73 yards and did a lot to show that he was ready to be the featured back.

Jennings is only owned in 8% of Fleaflicker fantasy football leagues right now, but he ranks fifth on the list of most added players in the NFL. It's impossible to know what Mangini will do in Week 15, but my bet is with the fantasy GM's who are flocking to the waiver wire right now. Chris Jennings looks to be the new running back in Cleveland.

Other Fantasy Football Notes

• Congratulations to you if you drafted Rashard Mendenhall late in fantasy football drafts or jumped on board his gravy train early enough. He's been a true fantasy asset this season as he's taken hold of the starting job at running back. It turns out that he is going to be even more valuable moving forward. Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says Mendenhall will be taking over third down duties because Mewelde Moore is having trouble picking up blitzers.

• Frank Gore went through a span of three weeks where he just wasn't getting many carries. This is around the same time as the 49ers were instilling the spread offense. It seems all the kinks have been worked out and Gore will now start becoming a work horse again. John Crumpacker of the San Francisco Chronicle says that 25 carries Gore got in Week 14 will be the norm from now on.

• According to The Tennessean, now that Justin Gage is working his way back from injury Kenny Britt will stay as big of a part of the Titans offense as he was when Gage was hurt. The reps that Gage will receive will not come at the expense of Britt.

• Gerry Fraley of The Dallas Morning News feels that Felix Jones and even Tashard Choice may be better running backs right now, but Wade Phillips doesn't want to upset the pecking order in Dallas. Over the last three games Barber has averaged 3.35 yards per carry on 43 carries -- Jones is raking at 5.44 per carry with only 23 carries.

• If you have Santonio Holmes as your receiver in a league that awards points for return yards, his value is going up. Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says Holmes will be returning punts for the duration of the season.

• Matthew Stafford hasn't already been ruled out for Detroit's Week 14 game, but he's unlikely to play. Tim Twentyman of The Detroit News thinks Drew Stanton has a shot at leap-frogging Daunte Culpepper to start at quarterback. Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press doesn't agree.