NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Browns TE David Njoku is feared to have suffered a high-ankle sprain in Sunday's loss to the Cowboys. That would likely mean multiple missed games. He'll undergo further testing Monday to confirm the diagnosis.
Browns TE David Njoku injured an ankle in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys. He's officially questionable to return. We'll update Njoku's status when we know more.
Per reporter Zac Jackson, Browns TE David Njoku “is having another strong camp and might end up leading the team in targets." Last year, Njoku tallied 123 targets in 16 games -- five fewer than Amari Cooper (15 games).
Per beat writer Zac Jackson, the Browns view WR Jerry Jeudy as “dangerous on quick throws out of the slot.” Jeudy ran 59.1% of his routes out of the slot last season; 52.5% for his career.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson has been a “full participant” through the first week of training camp, per beat writer Zac Jackson. Watson underwent November surgery to address a displaced fracture to the glenoid in his right shoulder.
The Browns are hiring Ken Dorsey as their OC, according to multiple sources. He'll replace Alex Van Pelt, who'd been Cleveland's OC since HC Kevin Stefanski took over in 2020. Dorsey spent a season-and-a-half as Buffalo's OC, taking over in 2022 and leading the Bills to second-place finishes in both total yards and points. He was fired midway through this past season, despite the Bills averaging 26.2 points through the opening 10 games. (They averaged 27.1 the rest of the way.) We'll see exactly how much say Dorsey has in Stefanski's offense this coming season. Stefanski has called plays the last four seasons.
The Browns have fired OC Alex Van Pelt and RBs coach Stump Mitchell. Van Pelt has been Cleveland's OC since HC Kevin Stefanski was hired in 2020; Mitchell started his Browns tenure in 2019. We'll see who replaces those guys, but we wouldn't expect sweeping changes to the offense considering Stefanski has always had a big say in the operation.
Browns WR Cedric Tillman (concussion) is out for Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the Texans. The rookie has been a full-time player for Cleveland over the second half of the season and averaged 5.0 targets over the last seven games. His snaps will go to some combination of WRs David Bell, James Proche, and Marquise Goodwin. But Tillman's targets might just be soaked up by WR Amari Cooper and TE David Njoku.
The Browns will likely rest some starters in Week 18 if the Ravens beat the Dolphins today to clinch the AFC North, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. In that case, Cleveland would basically be locked into the AFC's No. 5 seed and have nothing to play for against the Bengals next weekend. QB Joe Flacco, WR Amari Cooper, and TE David Njoku would be obvious candidates to be held out of that one.
Browns WR Amari Cooper (heel) is inactive for tonight's game vs. the Jets. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported less than an hour ago that Cooper was likely to play, but he reportedly didn't feel good enough in pregame warmups. His absence leaves Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman, Marquise Goodwin, David Bell, and James Proche as Cleveland's five active WRs. We'd try to avoid the group against the Jets' top-ranked WR defense. TE David Njoku should get a target boost with Cooper out. QB Joe Flacco is no more than a low-end QB2 tonight considering the matchup and Cooper's absence.
Browns WR Amari Cooper exploded in Week 16 vs. the Texans, hauling in 11 of 15 targets for a career-high 265 receiving yards and 2 TDs. The veteran’s yardage total on Sunday ranks as the highest recorded mark in 2023, and his 51.5 PPR points stand as the second-highest score single-game score this season. TE David Njoku didn’t post the same kind of eye-popping numbers as Cooper did in this contest (6 catches, 44 yards), though he did find the end zone and extended his TD streak to three games. Both players will have their work cut out for them in Week 17 against the Jets (third in pass defense DVOA), but the strong rapport they’ve built with QB Joe Flacco should be enough to propel fantasy managers toward securing a championship. Start Cooper and Njoku next week confidently.
Browns TE David Njoku continues to be QB Joe Flacco’s favorite target. The veteran pass-catcher ended Week 15’s win vs. the Bears with 10 catches on 14 targets for 104 receiving yards and a TD. Sunday’s contest is the second time in Njoku’s career that he exceeded the 100-yard mark (2021 Week 5). WR Amari Cooper was also heavily involved, hauling 4 of 8 targets for a team-high 109 receiving yards, including the 51-yard TD catch that tied the game up late in the fourth quarter. Both players are set up nicely to build on this success next week vs. the Texans (28th in pass-defense DVOA) and should be trustworthy starters in the fantasy playoffs.
Browns TE David Njoku recorded his first career multi-TD game in Week 14 vs. the Jaguars. The veteran ended the contest with 6 receptions on 8 targets for a team-high 91 receiving yards. Though he flopped last Sunday vs. the Rams, Njoku has been on a roll of late and has seen at least 6 catches and 50 receiving yards in four of his last five games. He should be locked into fantasy lineups as a TE1 next week going up against the Bears (fifth-best TE matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed).
Browns HC Kevin Stefanski named QB Joe Flacco the starter for the rest of the season after Sunday's win over the Jaguars. No surprise. Flacco has given the Browns their best QB play of the season the past two weeks (and that includes Deshaun Watson). He followed a 254-2-1 passing line last week with 311 yards, three TDs, and one INT in the Week 14 win. Flacco gets doable matchups the next two weeks vs. the Bears and Texans but is really only in play in 2-QB and superflex leagues. Flacco's solid play is good news for Cleveland's skill-position players, though.
Browns TE David Njoku (knee) is not listed on the final Week 14 injury report. He only got in a limited practice on Friday but is evidently good to go for this weekend’s game vs. the Jaguars.
Browns TE David Njoku (knee) missed his second straight practice on Thursday. He's taken every Wednesday off since Week 8, but this is the first time he's also missed Thursday. We'll see if Njoku gets on the field tomorrow and how he's listed on the final injury report for this weekend's game vs. the Jaguars.
Browns WR Amari Cooper (concussion, ribs) did not practice on Wednesday. He's unlikely to clear the concussion protocol in time to play vs. the Jaguars this weekend. Cooper's absence would leave WR Elijah Moore and TE David Njoku as the clear top-two targets in Cleveland's passing game.
Browns QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (concussion) is out for this weekend’s game vs. the Rams. The team confirmed on Friday that QB Joe Flacco will start that one. The 38-year-old isn’t a good option at this point of his career – but he should prove to be at least a slight upgrade over Thompson-Robinson and P.J. Walker.
Browns QB Joe Flacco has been getting first-team reps in practice and "could start" this weekend's game vs. the Rams, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson is in concussion protocol -- and hasn't been good in his three starts. QB P.J. Walker has been just as bad. Flacco just joined the Browns 10 days ago but is likely the team's best passer. He completed 58% of his passes at 5.5 yards per attempt with five TDs and three INTs in five appearances for the Jets last year. That included outings of 309 and 307 passing yards in the first two weeks of the season. Flacco is not a viable Week 13 fantasy play, but we'd consider him a slight upgrade for Cleveland's skill-position players.
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