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There's a lot of change in the Cleveland offense this year. That's especially true in the backfield and at QB, but the latter could also mean fluidity in the WR corps. We'll be tracking usage and buzz throughout the rest of summer and the preseason games, but Max Loeb of Cleveland podcast Honor the Land offered some interesting practice observations this week.
Loeb: "Cedric Tillman continues to emerge as Joe Flacco's #1 target."
More: "Diontae Johnson settling in VERY nicely now, strong connection w/ Dillon Gabriel."
"Continues" caught my eye on the Tillman point, and the combo with Flacco could prove important.
Tillman enjoyed a mini-breakout in the middle of last season, after Jameis Winston got behind center. A Week 12 concussion ended the WR's season, though, and robbed us of seeing whether that momentum would continue.
Flacco, however, proved positive for Cleveland pass catchers in his late-2023 stint as starter. And he delivered the same impact for Colts WRs last season.
Kenny Pickett's recent hamstring injury appears to have Flacco positioned as the current Week 1 starting favorite. That could mean sneaky early fantasy value for Tillman, who's sitting late-Round 14 in fantasy football ADP.
As for Johnson, it's not surprising to hear that he's looking good. The guy spent most of the past six years delivering strong production, in both real and fantasy terms. The biggest question is whether he can overcome his own attitude. (We'll see.)
Developing a connection with Gabriel could prove unimportant if the third-round rookie QB doesn't see the field. But Gabriel has mixed in for starter snaps early. So if he does get onto the field in the regular season, existing rapport certainly wouldn't hurt Johnson's target chances.
Ultimately, we're not altering anyone's expectations on this set of observations, and we'll keep tracking the buzz from Browns camp.
Tillman edged Jeudy 40-36 in targets over that aforementioned four-game 2024 stretch, before his season-ending concussion. So the idea that Tillman could lead Jeudy in receiving this year certainly isn't crazy.
Jeudy would qualify as a "loser," though, if he's outscored by a teammate going nearly 30 spots later in positional ADP.
Jeudy's fine to draft either way, as he's going outside WR3 range. But Tillman's low cost makes him the more attractive Browns wideout.
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