Isaiah Crowell, Terrance West's Updated Fantasy Outlook Heading in to Week 2

Week 1 was a tale of two halves for the Cleveland Browns. They looked awful for the first 30 minutes against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they emerged after halftime rejuvenated thanks to the efforts of running backs Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West.

West took over as the lead back after Ben Tate's injury in the second quarter, finishing with 100 yards on 16 carries. Crowell wasn't used a lot with 32 carries on five yards, but he scored two touchdowns in the third quarter.

Fantasy owners everywhere were scrambling to reap the future rewards these two have to offer, so let's examine how their value looks heading into Week 2 against New Orleans. 

Tate, who is Cleveland's feature back, didn't look bad in Week 1. He ran for 41 yards on six carries, but he left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury. Health hasn't been his strong suit in the NFL, missing the entire 2010 season with an ankle injury and eight games from 2011-13. 

His status for Week 2 certainly plays a role in the value for Crowell and West. As good as the dynamic duo looked in the second half, it seems unlikely that Tate would lose his job as the No. 1 guy after averaging nearly seven yards per carry in limited action. 

Head coach Mike Pettine didn't have an update on Tate's status as of Monday, according to Kevin Jones of Browns.com. In this case, no news may mean good news for fantasy players. On Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported a likely timeline for Tate:

Let's start with West, since he got the lion's share of the carries for the Browns in Week 1. He used a combination of power and elusiveness on Sunday, with Roland Bardon of Pro Football Focus noting that he "forced six missed tackles, and averaged 4.1 Yards After Contact."

West also had an Elusive Rating of 154.7, per Bardon, which measures stats like yards after contact and making defenders miss a tackle altogether. His rating was second among all running backs in Week 1, only behind the guy on the other side of the field, Le'Veon Bell, via NFL.com's Marc Sessler:

Despite being a big back at 5'11" and 223 pounds, West wasn't used in goal-line situations. That distinction went to Crowell, who is no slouch himself at 5'11" and 224 pounds. The Alabama State product finished with three more fantasy points in ESPN standard scoring leagues by virtue of getting those red-zone opportunities. 

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If that continues to be the case moving forward, Crowell will be the more valuable fantasy player because touchdowns are critical to success. Another reason he's so fascinating going forward is because of this quote from Pettine to Jones on the team's website in a separate report:

“Crowell really was not in the game plan," Pettine said. "“It was going to be Tate and West. To Crowell’s credit, he prepared like the starter. He went in there and did his job.”

What does it say about the player's value that he wasn't in the game plan, yet managed to earn enough trust to be used in those critical red-zone situations?

West still has tremendous value, especially in the long-term, because he's the one getting the yards and carries, but if you are looking for a player who will add touchdowns, Crowell is the better option in Week 2. 

Pittsburgh's defense has the oldest group of starters in the NFL and was 21st in rushing yards allowed last year. 

The good news for fantasy owners is New Orleans didn't fare much better last year, finishing 19th in rushing yards allowed and tied for the fifth-worst yards per carry (4.6). The Saints allowed just 4.0 yards per carry in Week 1 to Atlanta but allowed a total of 123 yards on 25 carries. 

Playing the game in Cleveland is also a boost to the Browns running game. New Orleans has proven to be a different team away from the Superdome. If you include last week's loss to Atlanta, the Saints are 6-11 on the road since 2012 and have allowed nearly 131 yards per game. 

Both West and Crowell figure to be prominent parts of the offense after their work in Week 1, whether or not Tate is available to suit up. West is the workhorse who will get the yardage; Crowell is the closer ready to step up in short-yardage situations and score touchdowns. 

They have the right matchup to shine and fantasy owners will continue to reap the rewards for stealing them off the waiver wire. 

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