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Spotlight - QB Charlie Frye, Cleveland Browns
Posted on 7/29, Exclusive to Footballguys.com
Jason Wood's Thoughts
Charlie Frye isn't exactly on the short list of sleeper fantasy QBs this year. According to the most recent ADP data, Frye is the 29th QB drafted; one of the last opening Sunday starters to come off the board. It's understandable considering he's a) inexperienced and b) surrounded by questionable offensive talent. Far be it for me to step to the plate and declare Frye fantasy worthy in redraft leagues. However, let me at least call your attention to his upside, if everything fell JUST right. In the NFL, the only certainty is uncertainty. Each and every season there are two or three QBs that come from absolutely nowhere to be solid fantasy options. Better to understand Frye's potential before your draft so that, if he has a solid game or two early, you know whether it's worth pulling the trigger on waiver claims. The Offensive Line -- The Browns offensive line wasn't good last year, but it wasn't bad either. HC Romeo Crennel and GM Phil Savage inherited a makeshift line and did the best they could. But this offseason, they made decisive moves to improve the line. One addition, LT Kevin Shaffer, started in Atlanta for one of the league's best running teams. He's not an elite option, but has good core strength and can help elevate the line's cohesiveness and drive blocking. The bigger addition, of course, was LeCharles Bentley; the young All Pro center who so badly wanted to return to his home state and play for the Browns. Alas, at the start of training camp Bentley tore his patella tendon and is lost for the season. That changes the entire complexity of the Browns line, and arguably makes the unit worse than the 2005 incarnation. Why? Because journeyman Bob Hallen is the Browns starting center unless they bring another veteran in. A young QB like Frye can ill afford uncertain line play; yet it looks like that's what he's faced with. The Receiving Corps -- Braylon Edwards, last year's 3rd overall pick, is due to return from a torn ACL. His healthy return will be essential to the Browns building off last year's mediocre passing offense. Even though Edwards won't be in the lineup in Week one, he should be on the field for 12+ games; which is a lot more than Frye had to work with last year. While we're on the subject of injury returns, let's not forget about a certain Kellen "Soldier" Winslow and his return after missing almost all of his first two NFL seasons. Winslow should participate in camp fully and, if he's 3/4ths of the player Cleveland thought he was coming out of Miami, he can single handedly change the complexion of the passing attack. Finally, but no less noteworthy, the Browns added veteran Joe Jurevicius to the mix. Jurevicius' career numbers don't jump out at you, but when he's been given starter's snaps, no one can argue with his productivity. Net-net, Frye has an intriguing cadre of receiving options as long as they return from prior injuries as planned. The Running Backs -- Reuben Droughns proved he can pound out the yardage. But he didn't prove he could score in short yardage or make plays on his own in the red zone. As a result, I don't think we should discount Charlie Frye's opportunities to throw in the red zone if the Browns can sustain drives and march down the field. The Coaching Staff -- Romeo Crennel is the face of the franchise, and sets the tone, but he's a defensive mind through and through. Mo Carthon crafts the offense and, to be fair, his history is too limited to really say whether he's an asset or liability relative to forecasting Frye. You can have Charlie Frye as your 3rd QB if you want him in 10- and most 12-team leagues. If you don't draft more than 2 QBs, he shouldn't be on your radar. Perhaps if LeCharles Bentley hasn't been lost for the season, Frye would be at the top of the "super sleeper" QBs. But as it stands, his inexperience, lack of cohesion with the offensive unit, and sub par offensive line are enough to keep Frye as a potential waiver wire claim on draft day.
Positives
Negatives
Final Thoughts Charlie Frye isn't someone who will be a top-10 fantasy passer under all but the most optimistic circumstances. In fact, the odds are against him being a top-20 passer. But year in, year out QBs come from nowhere to make a contribution, particularly as waiver wire claims, injury replacements and bye week fill-ins. In Frye's case, he comes from the MAC Conference which has produced Big Ben Roethlisberger, Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich. He's got a good head on his shoulders, good mechanics and more than enough arm. If things fall just right, he could be worth you attention. Otherwise, look elsewhere for your fantasy backup.
Quotations from the Message Board Thread To view the entire Player Spotlight thread (there's a ton of fantastic commentary in there), click here.
jerseyh8r: I see the Browns throwing the ball 54% of the time and having approximately 480 passing plays. Certainly the return of Winslow helps, but last years OL was 26th in attempts/sack, leaving Frye on his back and under pressure more than one would like. I will be keeping my eye on the OL in the pre-season to see how much PT they get together and how they perform. Edwards is making the projections a little tough now, but if he comes back early November, I see (on average) Frye coming up with 265/480-2665-16-18.
This Is Not VRR:
Charlie Frye Projections
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