Week 7 at Indianapolis Colts
With or without Deshaun Watson, David Njoku hasn’t been putting up huge numbers this season. He still has yet to hit 50 yards in a game. Maybe Watson returning will help, but at this rate, Njoku is stuck as a TE2. He can be considered as a streaming and daily option this week with six teams on a bye, but even at that, it’s a gamble.
Week 6 vs. San Francisco 49ers
Rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson found a nice safety net in David Njoku in Week 4. Now it’s P.J. Walker under center this week with Deshaun Watson out again with a shoulder injury. The downside is that Njoku gets to see Fred Warner and one of the best linebacker rooms in the NFL. Njoku is a low-end TE2 this week.
Week 4 vs. Baltimore Ravens
It’s been a bit of a disappointing start for David Njoku. Last week, he had just 20 yards on four catches. Quarterback Deshaun Watson is starting to build a connection with Elijah Moore, which may push Njoku down a little bit. He’s fallen down the board a bit as well in fantasy, no longer a sure fire TE1 option. But for those that start more than one tight end, he can be okay this week.
Week 3 vs. Tennessee Titans
The Browns use David Njoku quite a bit in the passing game in terms of allowing him to run routes (he has run a route on 75% of Cleveland's dropbacks). But he has seen just seven targets in two games. Tennessee presents a favorable matchup this week as Cleveland could throw the ball a bit more after losing Nick Chubb. That's enough to at least put Njoku on the border of being a TE1 given the depth of the position and his usage in the offense.
Week 2 at Pittsburgh Steelers
Cleveland focused on the run last week against the Bengals, leading to just three targets for David Njoku. The passing game should open up more, starting this week against the Steelers, though Cleveland should be salivating to run the football after seeing what the 49ers did in Week 1. But when the passing game does grow, Njoku should be there as one of the beneficiaries. Consider him a high-end TE2 heading into Week 2.
Week 1 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
One of the quiet yet underrated tight ends in the league has been David Njoku, who had 628 yards and four touchdowns despite missing three games last season. The Browns want to expand their offense and let Deshaun Watson sling the ball more and that should include Njoku over the middle. Watson hit Njoku seven times for 59 yards and a touchdown in Week 14 last season against the Bengals. Expect Watson to keep looking Njoku's way, making him a nice option if you don't have one of the top guys or if you had to get Travis Kelce out of your lineup this week.
Fantasy Upside
David Njoku missed three games last season but still put up solid numbers with 58 catches for 628 yards and four touchdowns. With all the options now on the outside and teams having to focus on Nick Chubb, Njoku should have room to work with in the passing game and still see plenty of targets (80 in 2022). He's also still only 27.
Fantasy Downside
The hope is that Deshaun Watson can shake off his rust. As our John Paulsen notes, Njoku averaged just 33 yards per game with Watson versus 52 per game when Jacoby Brissett started. If Watson can, that's good news for Njoku. He does now also have to compete with Amari Cooper, Nick Chubb, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Elijah Moore for targets.
2023 Bottom Line
If you don't land any of the top tight ends, Njoku is a fine fallback option as a solid, consistent top-ten tight end in fantasy. And the better Watson gets, the more value Njoku brings. He's a solid, low-end TE1.
Week 17 at Washington Commanders
Not many did well in the Cleveland passing game last week and that included David Njoku, who was targeted five times against the Saints but ended up with just 14 yards on two catches. Washington provides another tough test, having allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends. But as always, the position has been a tough call this season, making Njoku a borderline TE1 for the finals.
Week 16 vs. New Orleans Saints
David Njoku has been getting solid targets from Deshaun Watson -- 15 in the last two games -- but he only came away with 28 yards against the Ravens. He's also a bit limited right now due to a knee injury that has kept him limited in practice this week. Cleveland's passing game has taken a step back since Watson took over, so Njoku may not be one of our top options this week but he's a solid TE2 against the Saints.
Week 15 vs. Baltimore Ravens
David Njoku has a touchdown in his last two games played and has averaged eight targets in those two games. Njoku has returned to being a solid contributor in this offense and is one of the better tight ends options after the top group. Njoku is starting to heat up at just the right time, so roll with him this week. He also had 71 yards on seven catches against the Ravens in Week 7.
