Donovan Peoples-Jones Fantasy Overview

The Browns traded WR Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Lions in exchange for a sixth-round pick. Peoples-Jones turned in a promising 2022 season, catching 61 of 96 targets for 839 yards and three TDs. But he's been mostly invisible so far this year, totaling just eight receptions on 18 targets. He joins a Lions offense still searching for a consistent No. 2 WR behind Amon-Ra St. Brown. WR Josh Reynolds has been good in spurts this year, but WR Jameson Williams has continued to disappoint. We'll see what kind of role Peoples-Jones can carve out, but he's unlikely to emerge as a reliable fantasy option this season. The 24-year-old is set to hit free agency in March. The Browns, meanwhile, are left with WRs Marquise Goodwin, Cedric Tillman, and David Bell behind Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore.

Browns WR Amari Cooper (groin) is "considered unlikely" to play vs. the Steelers on Monday night, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. We'll see if he can make it back for Week 3, but he should be on fantasy benches for this week. Cooper's absence will leave Elijah Moore and Donovan Peoples-Jones as Cleveland's top two WRs -- and give TE David Njoku more target upside.

Zac Jackson of The Athletic believes Browns QB Deshaun Watson will be “much better” in 2023. We’re in strong agreement there. Watson struggled across six late-season games last year, tallying 6.5 yards per attempt and a 58.2% completion rate. But let’s recognize that he played his first regular season games since the 2020 season. And we’re ultimately talking about a small sample of 170 attempts. Cleveland added WRs Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman to a receiving corps already featuring Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and David Njoku. Watson sits inside the top 10 of our QB rankings.

The Jets are trading WR Elijah Moore and a third-round pick to the Browns for a second-rounder. The move confirms what the Jets' usage told us last year: They've already fallen out of love with the 2021 early-second-round pick. We loved Moore as a prospect, and he supplied a promising rookie-year stretch when healthy. He joins a Cleveland team with Amari Cooper in place as the top WR. But Moore could push Donovan Peoples-Jones for the No. 2 spot. And the trio makes a high-upside corps for QB Deshaun Watson. The Jets, meanwhile, might now be more incentivized to keep WR Corey Davis. We'll see if the team adds any notable wideouts in the draft, as well as how many more ex-teammates Aaron Rodgers demands the Jets acquire. The landing spot doesn't immediately boost Moore's fantasy outlook. But getting to a team that wants him more can only help his upside.