Odell Beckham Jr. Injury Update Boosts His Week 6 Fantasy Outlook

There was some concern that the Cleveland Browns could be shorthanded for a big divisional showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. were all considered questionable to play, but it appears as if all three will be active.

Of those three, Beckham was the one whose status appeared to be in the most doubt, so the fact that he's active is a boon for his fantasy managers.

Browns’ WR Odell Beckham Jr., listed as questionable for today’s game against the Steelers due to an illness, is expected to play, per source, as is WR Jarvis Landry (hip, rib).
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 18, 2020

Odell Beckham Jr. Fantasy Outlook

However, it's tough to like the spot Beckham is in this week. He's facing the league's sixth-best scoring defense, surrendering 21.8 points per game. The Steelers are also a particularly difficult matchup for the Browns passing game.

Mayfield is averaging a putrid 3.9 yards per attempt when under pressure this season, per Rotoworld. That's a real problem against a Pittsburgh defense that blitzes at the league's highest rate (48.8%) and generates pressure at the league's highest rate as well (41.2%). For reference, the New England Patriots have the league's second-highest pressure rate at 30.9%.

If Mayfield is under duress all day, it could be tough for him to connect with Beckham much. OBJ has an average depth of target (aDOT) of 13.0, and if he's hurried he could be forced to look for shorter throws to receivers like Austin Hooper (6.5 aDOT) and Landry (10.7).

Beckham is probably too good for you to just bench outright, but fantasy managers should lower their expectations for him in this one.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.