Njoku had a career season in 2023, and we'll see if he can produce at a high level once again this year. He's worth drafting as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy tight end in all leagues with a mid- to late-round pick. Njoku averaged a career-best 12.6 PPR points per game last season, but you have to look at his 2024 campaign in two parts. He was great with Joe Flacco to end the season, but Njoku struggled with Deshaun Watson, who will be the starter in 2024. Njoku scored 6.8 PPR points or less in three of five games with Watson, but he scored at least 16.4 PPR points in each of his final four games with Flacco. We're hopeful Njoku can be more productive with Watson this year, and a full season together should help. Njoku is a good tight end to wait for on Draft Day in all leagues, but don't reach for him based solely on last year's success.
Njoku is still worth using as a low-end starter in most leagues, but he didn't play well with Deshaun Watson last year, which is something to monitor. Njoku scored 6.8 PPR points or less in three of five games with Watson, who is still dealing with shoulder concerns heading into Week 1 against Dallas. The Cowboys also were No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, so this could be a tough game for Njoku if Watson is limited in any way.
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Browns' David Njoku: Healthy heading into Week 1
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Njoku (undisclosed) wasn't listed on Cleveland's injury report Wednesday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Njoku practiced without limitations and should be good to go for Sunday's season opener against the Cowboys. The 28-year-old tight end set career highs with 882 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2023, but most of that production came with quarterbacks other than Deshaun Watson, who is set to reprise the starting role under center after having recovered from a shoulder injury.
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Browns' David Njoku: In line to practice Tuesday
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Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Njoku (undisclosed) will practice Tuesday, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.
Njoku has been kept off the practice field since mid-August due to soreness, and he also missed Cleveland's preseason finale Saturday. If the standout tight end is indeed able to get back on the practice field Tuesday, it will assuage most concerns about his Week 1 availability. Njoku still has nearly two weeks to get fully healthy before the Browns' regular-season opener against the Cowboys on Sunday, Sept. 8.
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Browns' David Njoku: Not playing Saturday
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Njoku (undisclosed) isn't slated to play in Saturday's preseason contest at Seattle, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.
Njoku has been dealing with some soreness since mid-August, which has kept him off the practice field in the meantime. With his lack of availability for the exhibition finale confirmed, he'll set his sights on a Week 1 matchup with the Cowboys on Sunday, Sept. 8. Over the last two campaigns with the Browns, Njoku has come on as a receiving threat with a combined 139 catches (on 203 targets) for 1,510 yards and 10 touchdowns in 30 regular-season games.
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Browns' David Njoku: Remains sidelined
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Njoku (undisclosed) didn't practice Wednesday, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.
Given that Njoku hasn't practiced since Aug. 15, it seems unlikely that he'll see action in the Browns' preseason finale against the Seahawks on Saturday. If that's the case, the focus of the team's top TE will then pivot to preparing for a Week 1 matchup against the Cowboys on Sunday, Sept. 8.
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Browns' David Njoku: Still not practicing
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Njoku (undisclosed) is not practicing Tuesday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Njoku hasn't returned to practice since exiting last Thursday's joint session with the Vikings early due to what was called soreness. Top wide receiver Amari Cooper (undisclosed) is also not available Tuesday, despite early indications that he was in line to return. Saturday's road exhibition matchup against the Seahawks will be Njoku's final chance to log preseason reps prior to Cleveland's regular-season opener against the Cowboys.
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Browns' David Njoku: Dealing with soreness
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Njoku (undisclosed) participated in 1-on-1 drills but took only one snap in team drills during Thursday's practice, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.
Afterward, coach Kevin Stefanski said that Njoku was feeling "sore." With the Browns not in line to play starters Saturday versus the Vikings, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com, the tight end's next chance to see game action will arrive Saturday, Aug. 24 against the Seahawks.
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Browns' David Njoku: Developing chemistry with QB
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Njoku and quarterback Deshaun Watson showed off a developing connection during this week of practice, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.
That connection became most notable Thursday, the Browns' first competitive practice with offense vs. defense in full pads. The tight end used his size to snare a couple of targets, beating Grant Delpit and Juan Thornhill in one-on-one coverage. Njoku appears to be operating with confidence following a breakout 2023 campaign, which really kicked into high gear over the second half when Watson was out with a shoulder injury. If the Watson-to-Njoku combination continues to develop, the Browns could make a deeper run in the playoffs.
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Browns' David Njoku: Cleared for practice
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Njoku (undisclosed) participated in his first training camp practice Saturday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Njoku missed the first two days of training camp with an undisclosed injury, but the team never indicated the matter was overly serious. The big-bodied tight end is now poised to build off a stellar second half of the 2023 season, when he registered 50 receptions, 598 receiving yards and four touchdowns over the Browns' final eight games including the playoffs.
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Browns' David Njoku: Working on side
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Njoku worked on the side during Thursday's practice with an undisclosed injury, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.
There's nothing to indicate the nature of the injury or if this was merely a veteran getting an easy first day of camp. Njoku looks to build off a breakout campaign in 2023, when he had career highs in targets (123), catches (81), yards (882) and touchdowns (six). Competition for targets will be even greater in 2024 with Jerry Jeudy (leg) added to the roster.
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Browns' David Njoku: Cleared for Week 18
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Njoku (knee/illness) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Njoku has been cleared to play in the season finale, despite having not managed anything more than limited participation in practice this week while dealing with the illness and a knee injury. Though he's on track to be active Week 18, Njoku could end up taking on well below a full workload, as the Browns are already locked into the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs and aren't likely to overextend key players. If Njoku plays only limited snaps or sits out the game entirely, Harrison Bryant and Jordan Akins would see expanded roles at tight end.
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Browns' David Njoku: Manages limited practice
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Njoku (illness/knee) was listed as a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
Njoku was able to handle some reps at practice Thursday, a day after he sat out the Browns' first Week 18 session entirely due to an illness, a knee injury and rest. No major health concerns are expected to prevent Njoku from playing this Sunday against the Bengals, but the Browns could still choose to rest him for all or most of the game in order to preserve his health for the postseason. The Browns are locked in as the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs, and Njoku has proven himself to be one of the team's more important players this season, especially since Joe Flacco took over as Cleveland's starting quarterback. In his five appearances with Flacco under center, Njoku has averaged six receptions, 78 receiving yards and nine targets per game while scoring four touchdowns.
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Browns' David Njoku: Comes down with illness
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Njoku won't practice Wednesday due to an illness, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Njoku has been on a tear over the last four games, racking up a cumulative 28-373-4 receiving line on 39 targets during that stretch. He benefited from Amari Cooper sitting out last Thursday's win over the Jets due to a heel injury, with Njoku turning his eight targets into six catches for 134 yards. Now that Njoku is dealing with an illness, though, his status will be monitored to see if he may join a healthy Joe Flacco (coach's decision) on the sideline Sunday at Cincinnati.
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Browns' David Njoku: Gets into end zone again
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Njoku caught six of nine targets for 44 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 36-22 win over the Texans.
While the tight end's performance was overshadowed by a record-setting day from Amari Cooper, Njoku still got into the end zone for the third straight game, as he was on the other end of a 21-yard strike from Joe Flacco in the second quarter. Njoku's chemistry with his new QB is undeniable, and over his three-game TD streak he's posted a 22-239-4 line on 31 targets. He'll look to keep rolling in Week 17 against the Jets.
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Browns' David Njoku: TEs to Start
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Njoku has scored fewer than 10.4 PPR points just once since Week 6, and he's been excellent with Joe Flacco in the past two games. Against Jacksonville and Chicago, Njoku has 16 catches for 195 yards and three touchdowns on 22 targets, and he should have another quality outing against the Texans, who are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends. I like Njoku as a top-five Fantasy tight end in Week 16.
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Browns' David Njoku: Top DFS Play
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Trey McBride is finally priced as one of the top options on the slate, so I'm looking a different direction. Njoku has 55 targets in his last six games and only one game below 11 PPR Fantasy points in that stretch. The Texans have allowed the most targets to tight ends, the second most catches, and the third most yards.
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Browns' David Njoku: Tops century mark against Chicago
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Njoku caught 10 of 14 targets for 104 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 20-17 win over the Bears.
The tight end was Joe Flacco's favorite target, leading Cleveland in catches and targets, though Amari Cooper topped him in yardage with 109. Njoku also hauled in Flacco's first TD pass of the day with a two-yard grab in the first quarter. Njoku has erupted since the Browns made their switch at QB, and over the last two games he's produced an eye-popping 16-195-3 line on 22 targets. Sunday's production also put him over 700 receiving yards on the season for the first time in his career, and his 69 receptions and five touchdowns are also personal bests. Njoku will look to keep surging in Week 16 against the Texans.
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Browns' David Njoku: TEs to Start
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Njoku was a star in Week 14 against Jacksonville with six catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns on eight targets, and he has 14 targets in two games with Joe Flacco. Njoku has now scored at least 11.8 PPR points in six of his past seven outings, and the Bears are No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends. Four tight ends have scored a touchdown against Chicago in the past six games.
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Browns' David Njoku: Two scores in win
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Njoku recorded six receptions on eight targets for 91 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 31-27 win over the Jaguars.
Joe Flacco took to the air 45 times, and Njoku benefitted by seeing at least eight targets for the sixth time in his last eight games. He delivered a massive performance, racking up a season-high 91 yards thanks to long receptions of 34 and 30 yards -- both of which went for touchdowns. Njoku has settled into a relatively consistent role in the Cleveland offense and should benefit from Joe Flacco remaining under center.
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Browns' David Njoku: Season-low receiving yards
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Njoku caught two of six targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 36-19 loss to the Rams in Week 13.
Njoku's been a prominent target regardless of which quarterback is throwing the ball, but he couldn't spark any chemistry with Joe Flacco on Sunday. While a couple of his looks were in the red zone, the tight end was held to a season low in receiving yards, and the two catches were his fewest since Week 1. Njoku also watched backup Harrison Bryant (five catches and a TD) experience a production increase with Flacco under center. Cleveland's quarterback situation remains volatile heading into Week 14 against the Jaguars, and while Njoku is a top target -- third on the team with 84 -- the Browns' offense has produced just four touchdowns, including two for Bryant, over the last 12 quarters.
