Week 4 at Oakland Raiders
Antonio Callaway was highly inefficient last week. He saw a healthy 11 targets, but only finished with four receptions for 20 yards. We expected Callaway to play more after the team moved on from Josh Gordon and it's nice to see him get so many looks. In fact, he led the team in offensive snaps in Week 3.
This week he faces a Raiders defense which has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing WRs. He's not a great play, but he can be viewed as a fringe WR3 or WR4 play vs. Oakland.
Week 3 vs. New York Jets
Antonio Callaway showed why he was such a promising talent last week as he hauled in a 47-yard touchdown. Outside of that score, though, he wasn't too effective (2 receptions for 34 yards). As we predicted before the year, Callaway will likely make some big plays this season, but he'll be a difficult player to rely on every single week.
His role may increase now that Josh Gordon is out, but we'll have to wait and see if that's the case. For now, he's mostly off the fantasy radar in terms of starting him in Week 3.
Fantasy Upside
Antonio Callaway was one of the more talented receivers in the draft and he landed in a good spot in Cleveland. In fact, the Browns traded away Corey Coleman, which should give Callaway more opportunities to see the ball. We still don’t know what’s going on with Josh Gordon, so Callaway could have an extended role at the start of the season. If nothing else, he’s been getting more reps at training camp because of Gordon’s absence. He already looked good in the team’s first preseason game, coming away with three catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Fantasy Downside
Callaway fell to the Browns in the draft due to off-the-field issues and he started his NFL career off with a marijuana citation. It’s not the end of the world, but for a player who already had issues, it’s certainly not too inspiring. If Gordon returns at the start of the season, targets will be an issue for Callaway. Jarvis Landry, Gordon and Duke Johnson (even David Njoku) all want to be fed in the passing game, which doesn’t leave too much for Callaway.
2018 Bottom Line
Expect Callaway to make some highlight plays during his rookie year, but he’ll likely lack consistency. He’s a talented player learning his way in his first season on an offense with plenty of playmakers. He’s only worth a spot on really deep fantasy rosters.
