Cleveland Browns: Could David Njoku be a fantasy sleeper this fall?

When your drafting your fantasy teams this fall, there is a specific member of the Cleveland Browns fans should really consider.

If you play in one NFL fantasy league or multiple (like I do) yearly, you would know drafting Cleveland Browns players are not the ideal route in building for success.

Sure, a couple at most could be considered as worthy options at some point. Yet, for the most part, Cleveland players have been spot starters/waiver wire pickups for years.

One player that was more of the former is former Browns TE Gary Barnidge. Tight ends are the security blankets for quarterbacks and in Cleveland, he was utilized often. With second year quarterback Cody Kessler and possibly rookie DeShone Kizer at some point under center, much of the same should be seen this fall.

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With Barnidge in free agency now, his contributions will need to be replaced by someone. That player is first round tight end David Njoku. Now, I am not putting high expectations on the rookie believing that he must be Barnidge as a rookie. That would be unfair. Instead, I would strongly consider drafting Njoku a bit later once all the top players at his position are selected.

Even though wide receivers Corey Coleman and Kenny Britt will be making their marks, the TE position will continue to be utilized often in head coach Hue Jackson’s offense. Whether Njoku is lined up as the Y, X, or elsewhere on the field, he is going to make plays.

Njoku has the athleticism needed to really open up eyes around the NFL. Depending which type of league and setup you are in, Njoku could be a TE1 or a flex option with the worst case scenario being a TE2.

Outside of Britt and Coleman, Cleveland needs another guy and they have him in Njoku.

According to football-reference.com, Barnidge accumulated 55 receptions for 612 yards, and two touchdowns last season. Over the course of four seasons in Cleveland, Barnidge racked up 160 receptions for 1,938 yards, and 13 touchdowns.

Of course one can argue, Barnidge only had one really good season, which was in 2015. During that season, he caught 79 receptions for 1,043 yards, and nine touchdowns. On the other hand, last season’s totals were very solid too and most, if not all teams would be okay with such results.

Call it bold if you like, but I strongly believe Njoku will be an even bigger presence on offense than what is currently believed in general. Njoku is going to be special and he should have an impressive start similar to that of Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Cameron Brate.

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At minimum, don’t be surprised if Njoku ends up with roughly 45 (but ideally more) receptions for 600 yards and four or five touchdowns.

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