Bottom Line

Njoku awoke from his fantasy slumber in 2022 and finished as a TE1.

He’ll face stiffer target competition this season after Cleveland added WR Elijah Moore.

But if QB Deshaun Watson can rediscover pre-suspension form, Njoku could be even more productive in 2023.

What We Learned Last Year

• Njoku entered last year with just two career top-25 fantasy seasons. He did muster a TE9 overall PPR finish in 2018 but hadn’t done much consistently beyond that.
• This trend of mediocrity broke in 2022 as Njoku finished as the TE11 overall with a 10.1 points per game average that ranked eighth at the position.
• He recorded seven top-12 weekly finishes in PPR scoring with only one other week as a TE2 or better. That’s not exactly eye-popping, but there are a couple of reasons why Njoku struggled to perform better last year:
  • Njoku missed three games due to a high-ankle sprain and a knee injury.
  • He was also better before QB Deshaun Watson returned from suspension and became the starter in Week 13:
    • Week 1 - Week 12: 4.4 receptions/game, 51 receiving yards/game, 10.7 PPR points per game, TE8 overall
    • Week 13 - Week 18: 3.4 receptions/game, 32.8 receiving yards/game, 9 PPR points per game, TE19 overall
• The former 1st-round pick finished 2022 12th among TEs in target share (18.2%), 13th in air yards share (15.2%), and eighth in PPR points per game (10.1).
• Among 27 TEs who received 50+ targets, Njoku finished the year:
  • 5th in Pro Football Focus receiving grade
  • 8th in yards per route run (1.55)
  • 5th in yards after catch per reception (5.9)

What to Expect in 2023

• Still only 27 years old, Njoku should be the favorite to be second in line for targets in the offense in 2023.
• Assuming the Browns improve upon their 22nd-ranked pass rate from a year ago now that Watson will have an entire offseason with the team, we feel that Njoku will once again be a value TE1 in fantasy.