2019 Fantasy Football Preview: AFC North

Sleeper: Baker Mayfield

If you're looking for the next Patrick Mahomes without paying full price, Baker Mayfield is your best bet in the sixth round. Mayfield was on a 4,300-yard, 33-touchdown pace as a starter in 2018 that was only better if you look just at the games with Freddie Kitchens in charge (4,508 yards, 38 touchdowns). Now add Odell Beckham to the equation, and Mayfield is one of a handful of quarterbacks for whom you can make a coherent argument as the best in Fantasy.

Breakout: Nick Chubb

Nick Chubb should be the best running back in Cleveland this season and among the best Fantasy running backs in the league. But there's some risk involved now that Kareem Hunt is a member of the Browns, which lowers Chubb's Fantasy value on Draft Day. He's worth drafting toward the end of Round 2 in most formats. The good news for Chubb is Hunt is suspended for the first eight games of the season and won't play until Week 10 because of Cleveland's Week 7 bye. If healthy, Chubb should have tremendous production until Hunt is active, and then we'll have to see how the Browns use their running backs to close the year, a group that also includes Duke Johnson. Chubb showed he can be a Fantasy star last season once he got the full-time job, getting 19 or more touches in seven of Cleveland's final 10 games. Over that span, he scored at least 13 PPR points seven times. The addition of Odell Beckham should make the Browns offense more explosive, and Chubb should have the chance for plenty of production, at least until Hunt is active. There might not be a better running back to get your Fantasy team off to a hot start than Chubb. And hopefully he can finish strong even when Hunt is able to play.

Bust Alert: Kareem Hunt

The Browns gave Kareem Hunt a second chance on his NFL career, and hopefully he will not have any issues off the field again. In 2018, Hunt was released by the Chiefs after a video surfaced of him beating up a woman. He signed with Cleveland in February, and the NFL suspended him for the first eight games of this season. The Browns have a bye in Week 7, so the earliest we'll see Hunt play is Week 10. And, if everyone is healthy, he'll share touches with Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson, which lowers his Fantasy value. As a player, Hunt is a dynamic running back and led the NFL in rushing as a rookie in 2017. If he's able to resurrect his career in Cleveland, he could emerge as a featured back once again since he's playing on a one-year deal. But in 2019, his Fantasy value is limited on Draft Day because of Chubb and potentially Johnson. We only recommend drafting Hunt with a late-round pick in most formats this season.

Sleeper: Vance McDonald

There's a chance Vance McDonald becomes a good Fantasy tight end, but it'll take a lot of touchdowns and plenty more targets. Maybe it can happen - he will no longer share the field with Jesse James and the Steelers will use McDonald, among others, to help replace Antonio Brown's production. McDonald has seen five-plus targets in 10 of 21 games with the Steelers already, so it wouldn't take too much for him to get the target bump needed to help his numbers. Unfortunately, McDonald is considered injury prone (23 games missed) and has never been a strong yardage contributor (70-plus yards in four of 73 career games). Your best move is to take him late as an early-season streaming tight end, especially if you like his schedule to begin the year.

Breakout: James Washington

James Washington has a big opportunity in front of him this season with Antonio Brown gone, and Washington is a sleeper to target with a late-round pick in all formats. The Steelers have to replace Brown's production from 2018, which was 104 catches for 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns on 168 targets. Washington should be the top candidate to fill the starting spot opposite JuJu Smith-Schuster, but he will face competition from Donte Moncrief and Diontae Johnson. We expect Washington to win the job, but he had a disappointing rookie campaign in 2018 with 16 catches for 217 yards and one touchdown on 38 targets. Now, it was hard to find targets behind Brown and Smith-Schuster, but there's a big opening now. And the Steelers led the NFL in pass attempts last year with Ben Roethlisberger, so Washington should have the chance to help Fantasy players in a big way. He's a potential sophomore sensation in 2019.

Bust Alert: Ben Roethlisberger

For the first time since 2011, Ben Roethlisberger will take to the field without Antonio Brown on his team - and the Fantasy ramifications figure to be huge. Before Brown boomed in the Steel City, Roethlisberger had one year with over 26 touchdowns and one with over 4,000 yards - and that was when he had guys like Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes! When Roethlisberger walks on the field in 2019, he won't have Brown (or Le'Veon Bell), but he'll still have JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner and a number of quality role players (Vance McDonald, Donte Moncrief) and even a breakout candidate (James Washington). Still, replacing a receiver who was responsible for a minimum of 25 percent of Roethlisberger's yards and 31 percent of his passing touchdowns every year since 2014 is impossible. If you're going to draft Roethlisberger, you shouldn't do it until the very late rounds, you shouldn't have high expectations and you better have another quarterback on your Fantasy roster to begin the season.

Sleeper: Tyler Boyd

Tyler Boyd was among the biggest surprise performers in 2018, and he's looking to repeat that performance this year. He's worth drafting as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues as early as Round 5. Boyd wasn't drafted in most Fantasy leagues last season but finished the year as the No. 17 PPR receiver. He was a third-year breakout with career highs in targets (108), receptions (76), yards (1,028) and touchdowns (seven), and he scored at least 11 PPR points in nine of the 14 games he played. He missed the final two games of the season with a sprained MCL in his right knee, but he's fine now. And he will be the Robin to A.J. Green's Batman in Zac Taylor's offense for the Bengals. While Green should lead the team in most receiving categories if healthy, Boyd won't be far behind. He's a quality starting option in 2019.

Breakout: Joe Mixon

Mixon's just 23 years old entering his third season. He projects to stay busy after finishing 2018 with a hefty 66% carry share. He reached 100 total yards seven times and impressed fantasy owners with a pair of 2-TD outings (vs. Tampa Bay and vs. Oakland). Gio Bernard — with 35+ catches in each pro season — will remain involved in the passing game. But a lack of depth beyond A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd make it realistic for Mixon to tally around 50 catches. If Mixon remains available into Round 2, he'll be tough to pass up.

Bust Alert: Tyler Eifert

Someone's going to draft Tyler Eifert in every league this summer because he scores at about a 50 percent clip. That's great, but he's missed 34 games over the past three seasons with a slew of injuries including a broken ankle in 2018. Can he stay healthy and become a Fantasy superstar like he was in 2015? It's possible, but no one should risk more than a late-round pick on finding out. If his Week 1 matchup looks good, he could be a streaming tight end to begin the year.