It's been a rough start for the first receiver drafted two years ago. First Corey Coleman followed up his breakout game (5 catches for 104 yards and 2 TDs) against Baltimore by missing the next six games with a broken hand. And now, after quickly establishing a rapport with Cleveland's rookie quarterback, he's going to be sidelined for an extended period again.
Coleman needed surgery to repair a broken bone in his hand this time around. He's expected to land on injured reserve, costing him at least the next eight games. Same hand, different bone, same opponent.
With Coleman gone, there's a new No. 1 receiver in Cleveland. Looks like it will be Rashard Higgins, who caught 7 balls for 95 yards against the Ravens. Cleveland has a bunch of other wideouts, but they seem to have soured on Kenny Britt, and Higgins moved past better-known names (Sammie Coates, Kasen Williams) fairly quickly.
After Coleman went down a year ago, Terrelle Pryor had a breakout game, catching 8 passes for 144 yards at Miami. Pryor went on to score 4 TDs in his next four games and have one of the more unlikely 1,000-yard seasons.
If you need to get those waiver claims in today, Higgins is the one to target. He's the new No. 1, probably for the next eight weeks.
--Andy Richardson