Isaiah Crowell, Terrance West's Fantasy Reaction After Ben Tate's Release

In a crowded backfield, the Cleveland Browns have created some space by dumping running back Ben Tate. According to the team's official Twitter account, the 26-year-old has been waived:

Even though Tate had a career-high 124 rushing yards against Tennessee in his first game back following an injury in Week 1, he was never able to sustain that success. Over the last six weeks, he's run for 168 yards and had just 22 carries in the last three games.     

Tate's release is a definitive statement by the Browns that rookie running backs Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West are the future. The results have shown in recent weeks, with the duo combining for 72 carries in three November games. 

Head coach Mike Pettine told reporters after Cleveland's Week 11 loss against Houston that he liked what the rookie running backs were doing, via Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

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There's an explosiveness there with the young backs, just a little more pop. We just wanted to see those guys out there. Sometimes, it's not a negative against a guy, it's more a positive with the other ones. We take everything into account when we discuss the running backs. [...]

We also look at running styles versus a particular opponent. Who executes these particular runs more than 'you look better in practice than he did' (in practice). Sometimes, it's a style-matchup decision.

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The last part is important for fantasy owners to keep in mind going forward. Even though the carries for West and Crowell have increased recently, they haven't been evenly split.

Against Cincinnati in Week 10, West had 26 carries for 94 yards and one touchdown. Crowell also scored a touchdown in that game, but only had 12 carries and 41 yards. Against the Texans, Crowell had 61 yards on 14 carries and West had five carries for 12 yards. 

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Some of that disparity was dictated by circumstances. The Browns were winning big against Cleveland, so naturally they wanted to run the ball and keep the clock moving. They were trying to play catch up against Houston, so Hoyer attempted 50 passes out of the team's 76 plays. 

Trying to figure out who the lead back will be is going to cause fantasy owners problems. Both backs are built for power over speed. They have nearly identical measurements—West is 5'10", 225 pounds; Crowell is 5'11", 225 pounds. 

Instead of a thunder-and-lightning duo, the Browns possess a thunder and thunder duo. They haven't used their running backs much in the passing game, so that's not a big help to anyone looking for a separator, either. 

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer threw another monkey wrench into things for owners of West and Crowell:

Crowell does seem to be Pettine's choice in red-zone situations. He leads the Browns with five rushing touchdowns, all of them coming from inside the opponent's 15-yard line. That gives him a slight edge in overall fantasy value even if West sees more carries. 

Even with Tate on the roster through 10 games, West racked up 112 carries compared to 78 for Crowell. It's unclear at this point what role Glenn Winston will play moving forward, though he may just get the handful of carries that were going to Tate and not hinder what West and Crowell were doing. 

In an ideal scenario, you already have both West and Crowell on your roster. If that's not the case, West is the best bet to finish with more yards and Crowell will have more touchdowns. Since there isn't much separation between the two in yards as it is, Crowell is a No. 2 fantasy back and West is a flex option moving forward. 

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