Browns QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start this weekend's game vs. the Broncos, HC Kevin Stefanski said Monday. Cleveland just added Joe Flacco to the QB room, but DTR will get at least one more start. The rookie did very little to win last week's game vs. the Steelers, completing 56% of his passes at 3.8 yards per attempt with 0 TDs. But he turned it over just once and took only one sack. Thompson-Robinson is a bottom-barrel QB2 for Week 12 and will continue to be a drain on Cleveland's WRs. (TE David Njoku tallied a 7-56-0 line on a whopping 15 targets vs. Pittsburgh.)
Not every Browns pass-catcher experienced a massive downtick in production without QB Deshaun Watson in Week 11. TE David Njoku recorded 7 catches for 56 receiving yards vs. the Steelers. Njoku’s 15 targets on Sunday are his highest single-game mark in his seven-year NFL career. He’s now seen a total of 22 targets across two games (Week 4 vs. the Ravens, Week 11) with rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center. For comparison, WR Amari Cooper has received just 14 combined targets in that sample size. This concentration of work is a huge boon for Njoku’s fantasy appeal so long as Thompson-Robinson is the Browns’ starter. He should be firmly entrenched in TE1 territory again in Week 12 vs. the Broncos.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson suffered a right-shoulder injury in Sunday's win over the Ravens that will end his season. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that it's a "displaced fracture in his right glenoid." Watson will have surgery, and he's expected to fully recover. That should mean he's ready in plenty of time for the start of 2024. For the rest of 2023, however, this means Browns pass catchers will see decreased efficiency. Watson hasn't been having a terrific season, but he leads P.J. Walker by wide margins in completion rate, TD rate, passer rating, QBR and Pro Football Reference's adjusted net yards per pass attempt. Walker's three games as primary QB so far this year have each included at least 8 targets for lead WR Amari Cooper. The wideout delivered quality receiving lines -- 4-108 and 6-89 -- in two of them but struggled against the Colts in between and has yet to catch a TD from Walker. Cooper caught just 44.4% of his targets over those three contests, compared with 64.4% across the other six. And that number rises further if you remove the Week 4 start for rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (6 targets, 1 catch). The remaining five games have found Cooper catching 71.8% of his targets. Losing Watson hurts Cooper. TE David Njoku, on the other hand, might be least impacted. He averaged 4.0 receptions and 51.7 yards across those three Walker games vs. 4.3 receptions and 37.0 yards per game in the other six. We have updated our Week 11 rankings and are updating the rest-of-season rankings as well.
Browns TE David Njoku tied his season high with 9 targets in Sunday's win over the Ravens. He also matched his season high of 6 receptions and posted his second-highest yardage total (58). That marks four straight games of 4+ receptions for Njoku, with three games of 8+ targets in that span. That's enough to make Njoku a comfy weekly start in most leagues, especially because Cleveland gets the fourth-best TE schedule from Week 11 on.
Browns WR Amari Cooper hauled all 5 of his targets for a team-high 139 receiving yards in Week 9’s win vs. the Ravens. QB Deshaun Watson’s return to the lineup was a welcomed change of pace for Cooper, as he’s now averaged 5.5 catches and 95.5 receiving yards in four games with Watson under center. In four games without Watson, Cooper only mustered 3.2 catches and 58.7 yards per game. TE David Njoku was also effective Sunday, logging 26 receiving yards and a TD on 4 catches in the contest. Next week’s matchup against the Ravens (first in pass defense DVOA in 2023) will bring them down a bit in fantasy value, however.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) will start Sunday's game vs. the Cardinals, HC Kevin Stefanski said Friday. Watson was listed as a full participant in Friday's practice and took the first-team reps in the portion of practice open to the media, according to insider Mary Kay Cabot. This will be Watson's second time returning from this shoulder injury in the past three weeks. The first go-around, he lasted just 12 snaps before giving way to QB P.J. Walker. There's theoretical upside here in a plus matchup against Arizona, but Watson would be a high-risk Week 9 fantasy play.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) was limited in Wednesday's practice. It's an upgrade after he was sidelined all last week. The Cleveland media was impressed with the zip on Watson's passes early in practice, but HC Kevin Stefanski wouldn't say whether Watson will play vs. the Cardinals this weekend. We'll keep you updated on his status over the next few days.
Browns WR Amari Cooper hauled 6 of 11 targets for a team-high 89 receiving yards in Week 8’s loss vs. the Seahawks. TE David Njoku also performed well, logging 77 receiving yards and a TD on 4 catches in the contest. Njoku has now seen at least 5 targets and passed 45 receiving yards in three of the last four games. Both are a names to consider starting next week’s matchup vs. the Cardinals.
Browns TE David Njoku (knee) is not listed on the final Week 8 injury report. He got in just limited practices on Thursday and Friday but will play vs. the Seahawks this weekend.
Browns TE David Njoku (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. He played a season-high 96% of Cleveland's offensive snaps last week and seemed to come out of the game fine. We're expecting him to play vs. the Seahawks on Sunday.
Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that QB P.J. Walker will start this weekend's game vs. the Seahawks. "I just feel like with what happened in the game, landing on his shoulder, there's residual swelling that's affecting his throwing," Stefanski said of QB Deshaun Watson. "I think it's the best thing for him to rest this week and focus on the rehab." Considering Watson was out for three weeks the first time he hurt his shoulder, it's certainly possible that he misses more than one game this time around. Expect another run-heavy game plan from Cleveland in Seattle this weekend.
Browns TE David Njoku drew a season-high 9 targets in Sunday's win over the Colts. He collected a team-high 5 receptions for 54 yards. That also marked a season high in yardage. Njoku has consistently run among the team leaders in routes, which leaves room for more similar performances. But we'll need to see more before counting on it. Njoku entered the day averaging 3.8 receptions per game through five outings.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson went into detail about his shoulder injury on Wednesday. He confirmed that it's a rotator cuff injury, per The Associated Press' Tom Withers. Watson said he's "trending up" but admitted that he might not get back to 100% this season. He added that he's not sure if it'll be days or weeks before he's ready to play. He's set to undergo medical testing ahead of Wednesday's practice. We'll keep you updated on Watson's status, but fantasy owners shouldn't plan on having him available for Week 7 lineups.
Browns TE David Njoku (face, hand) is active for today’s game vs. the 49ers. We’re not too worried about his burn injuries, but Njoku is not a recommended TE1 with Cleveland sporting a laughably low 13.0-point implied total.
Browns TE David Njoku (hand, face) is expected to play against the 49ers today, ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms. Njoku played through his burn injuries back in Week 4, posting a season-best 6-46-0 line. It's QB P.J. Walker and the matchup that has Njoku sitting low in the Week 6 TE Rankings.
Browns TE David Njoku (face, hand) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the 49ers. He was able to play through these burn injuries prior to Cleveland’s Week 5 bye, so he should play this weekend. But Njoku is not a recommended fantasy play in a bad matchup and with QB P.J. Walker under center.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) has officially been ruled out for Sunday's game vs. the 49ers. "He's making progress," HC Stefanski said Friday. "He's getting better. He's very disappointed. He wants to play. He wants to be able to compete with his teammates, so he's just got to focus on getting better every day." We'll see if Watson can make it back for Week 7. QB P.J. Walker gets the start against San Francisco. You should try to avoid the Browns passing game in fantasy lineups.
CBS Sports' Josina Anderson is told that Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) will not play vs. the 49ers on Sunday. He's about three weeks removed from a bruised rotator cuff that reportedly might take up to six weeks to fully heal. If Watson is indeed out this weekend, Cleveland will start QB P.J. Walker, who has seven career starts across the past three seasons. Walker sports a 57.5% completion rate, 6.4 yards per pass attempt, and five TDs vs. 11 INTs. A Walker-led passing game has very little chance against San Francisco.
Browns TE David Njoku (face, hand) did not practice on Wednesday. He suffered burns prior to the Week 4 game vs. the Ravens but was able to play, so he should be available for Sunday's game vs. the 49ers.
Browns TE David Njoku hauled 6 of 7 targets for 46 yards in Week 4’s loss vs. the Ravens. WR Amari Cooper struggled to connect with rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and only caught one of his 6 targets for 16 yards. This was an ugly outing without Deshaun Watson under center. The team will look to regroup and get healthier before they play again in Week 6 after their bye week.
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