Contributed by Ryan Painter

$20 PLAY OF THE DAY: AFC NORTH EDITION!

It's August, and the best buying window has nearly closed for NFL players. However, there are still some under the radar buys that you can grab for less than $20. Over the next couple weeks, we’ll be giving you one low-cost recommendation for each of the 32 NFL teams. Today we look at the AFC North!

CINCINNATI BENGALS: IRV SMITH JR, TE

Irv Smith was a 2nd round pick of the Minnesota Vikings back in 2019. There were high hopes for the Alabama tight end, but injuries have derailed his career thus far. After missing the entire 2021 season, Smith was again put on IR midway through the 2022 season. The Cincinnati Bengals and their prolific pass attack picked up Smith on a modest 1 year, $1.75 million contract. The Bengals present an interesting opportunity for Smith. While they are loaded with offensive weapons, there is an opportunity for him to step in and start. Hayden Hurst, who signed with Carolina, and his 50 plus snaps per game are up for grabs. I expect Irv Smith to step in and seize the majority of Hurst’s work. You can pick up nice rookie patch autos for under $20. A great pickup for the 2023 season.

CLEVELAND BROWNS: JEROME FORD, RB

The Cleveland Browns have quietly put together a nasty little offense. Quarterback Deshaun Watson has a diverse arsenal of weapons in Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, Donovan Peoples-Jones and David Njoku. Despite this, Cleveland is a RUN-FIRST team. The Browns had the 5th most rushing attempts last year (without having a running QB). Nick Chubb is the obvious king of the backfield; however, Kareem Hunt was not retained by the team. The Browns have shown great confidence in 2nd year back Jerome Ford, and if 27-year-old Chubb were to miss any time, Ford would be RB1 in a very favorable situation. Ford autos can be had extremely cheap, giving investors a strong opportunity to pick up a few and flip immediately if Chubb were to miss time.