#Browns-Bengals fantasy football takeaways: Joe Burrow, Nick Chubb

The second installation of “Thursday Night Football” came in the form of an AFC North shootout between the Browns and the Bengals.

Joe Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick from this year’s draft, attempted a whopping 61 passes, but was ultimately bested by the Browns. Baker Mayfield looked much better in Week 2, but it was running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt who led the way for the Browns and scored a combined four touchdowns.

The contest ended 35-30 and the Browns move to 1-1, while the Bengals drop to 0-2.

Here are five things you need to know for fantasy football:

1. Joe Burrow attempts 61 passes in loss behind faltering offensive line

It wasn’t the prettiest outing for Bengals fans, but Burrow got the job done for fantasy for the second week in a row. He looked uncomfortable all evening and had some missteps, including a near fumble after trying to call time out after the ball was snapped.

The LSU product finished with 37 completions on 61 attempts for 316 yards, three touchdowns and rushed seven times for 19 yards and a fumble. His 5.2 yards per pass attempt is concerning, but perhaps more of an indictment of the Bengals vulnerable offensive line. For now, he is a borderline streaming option week-to-week with high upside.

2. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt each score twice in massive rushing attack

Both Cleveland running backs were featured heavily in Thursday’s game and were a nightmare for the porous Cincinnati run defense. Chubb saw 22 carries to Hunt’s 10 this week. Chubb placated fantasy managers with 23 touches for 133 yards and two touchdown after a Week 1 dud.

Hunt finished with 10 carries for 86 rushing yards and a touchdown and two catches for 15 yards and a touchdown. He has proven he is much more than a handcuff, which makes for an overall confusing situation for anyone who has Chubb rostered. Next week’s matchup against the Washington Football Team’s stout defensive line will be tough for Chubb and Hunt, who should both fall somewhere in the RB2 range.

3. Baker Mayfield shows improvement after Week 1 disaster

Mayfield burned fantasy managers in Week 1 after struggling in Baltimore, but the third-year signal-caller showed improvement in Week 2 and completed 16 of 23 pass attempts for 219 yards and two touchdowns. It’s a surprisingly conservative game overall in light of the 35 points scored by the Browns. He is a week-to-week streamer in the right matchups, which probably won’t come next week opposite Chase Young and the Washington pass rush that sacked Carson Wentz eight times in their season opener.

4. Browns’ pass catchers Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper see mixed results

Mayfield did the bare minimum to eke by with the win this week which impacted his pass catchers for fantasy. Beckham led the team in targets with six and was the only one to pick up a score of the bunch. He finished with four catches for 74 yards.

Many thought Hooper — who is the league’s highest-paid tight end — would see more work this week with David Njoku on injured reserve. He caught two of four targets for 22 yards, which is his second straight dud and a far cry from the production we were accustomed to in Atlanta. He isn’t someone you can trust starting in 12-team leagues at this point.

Landry, who has been a target monster in years past, saw just three targets on the evening and caught all three for 46 yards. He is battling a hip injury and is barely flex worthy at this point.

5. Joe Mixon, A.J. Green have tepid Week 2

In spite of Burrow’s huge day, wide receiver Tyler Boyd was the lone fantasy-relevant player to put up decent numbers and finished with seven catches on eight targets for 72 yards and a touchdown.

Green led the team with 13 targets but couldn’t seem to find a rhythm with Burrow all night. He caught just three passes for 29 yards, which is a concerning number for anyone who has Green rostered.

Mixon saw 16 carries for a disappointing 46 yards this week. He also reeled in all four targets for 40 yards. It’s an improvement from Week 1, but isn’t enough to justify the top-10 draft capital managers had to pay to roster him.

Tight ends Drew Sample and C.J. Uzomah each saw respectable workloads. Sample caught seven of nine targets for 45 yards and Uzomah caught four of six targets for 42 yards and a touchdown before exiting with an achilles injury.