David Njoku is breaking out. The second-year tight end and former first-round pick led all Cleveland Browns receivers in targets with 11 in their overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens and is developing into an every-week starter at the tight end position in fantasy football.
He even tied teammate Jarvis Landry to lead the team in receiving yardage with a nice 69 yards in the low-scoring victory. In the two full games since rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield took over the starting job (not counting the Jets game), Njoku's 18 targets are the fifth-most at the tight end position. All he needs now is a touchdown.
What's great is that his standout stat from college has carried over into the NFL. Njoku averaged a jaw-dropping 11.2 yards after the catch in his final year with the Miami Hurricanes, and he is currently fifth among tight ends in that stat over the last two weeks with 56 of his yards coming after catching a pass.
He'll have plenty of opportunity to shine in the coming weeks. According to Warren Sharp's strength of schedule metrics, the Browns will face the third-easiest schedule of pass defenses for the rest of the year. Many of the teams they will face as the season progresses are high-powered offenses with weak defenses: their upcoming schedule features the Chargers, Buccaneers, Steelers, Chiefs and Falcons. You couldn't dream of a better schedule for the Browns passing offense.
Njoku is making a case for himself as an every-week starter in fantasy football and is a player you need to get on your roster before he truly breaks out.