The first shocker of the 2020 NFL free agent frenzy came via the Cleveland Browns, who agreed to make tight end Austin Hooper the highest-paid player at his position. Does this move Hooper into Big 3 contention at the position? Here’s what our analysts think about Hooper’s move to Cleveland from a fantasy standpoint:
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Q1. What is the fantasy football impact of Austin Hooper signing with the Cleveland Browns?
While this is a massive free agent signing and one of the names we were waiting to see where he landed, Hooper signing with the Browns is a negative for his fantasy value. There are suddenly a whole lot of mouths to fee in Cleveland with Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt (who received a 2nd round tender), and David Njoku. This moves Hooper outside of the top-10 fantasy tight ends for me, though it seems likely they’ll move on from Njoku in some way.
-Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL)
I cannot for the life of me fathom why this move happened, but it did nevertheless, so let’s talk about it. Hooper is going from 185 targets over his last 29 games (two seasons) to an offense that already features Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and ummm, ANOTHER GOOD TIGHT END. His fantasy stock plummets from my fantasy tight end #4 to my fantasy tight end #9 behind Hunter Henry, Tyler Higbee and Evan Engram.
-Bobby Sylvester (@bobbyfantasypro)
This is a great get for the Cleveland Browns and their attempts to surround Baker Mayfield with quality options. However, this is extremely puzzling due to the Browns already having David Njoku on that roster. Hooper was already a top-7 TE for me in 2020 and this move doesn’t impact that a ton. He’ll stay in that range, but it’s hard to envision him as a top-3 option with Njoku still there.
-Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)
Well, didn’t see this one coming. Hooper moving to the Browns certainly puts a damper on his fantasy value, but not sure it’s going to be quite as drastic as it seems at first blush. Yes, the Browns have plenty of offensive weapons, but the Falcons had Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Devonta Freeman, too. You’d have to assume that David Njoku gets moved now but, even if he doesn’t, Kevin Stefanski loves two-tight end sets, so there could be room for both. In the end, Hooper won’t match his 75-catch, six-touchdown season from last year, but he’ll still be a TE-1 for fantasy purposes, albeit a lower-end one.
-Dan Harris (@danharris80)
Q2. Who else is impacted by Hooper’s signing from a fantasy perspective?
This signing obviously crushes the fantasy value of David Njoku, who might be on his way out of Cleveland. They used a first-round pick on him just three short years ago, but now that there’s a new front office, they’re apparently moving in a different direction. They aren’t paying Hooper all this money to sit on the bench.
-Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL)
This is obviously terrible for David Njoku (unless he gets traded) and even makes him undraftable. You’d have to expect Landry and Odell (again, unless he gets traded) take a minor step back as well. If the Browns roll with two tight ends, Kareem Hunt could see fewer targets out of the slot too, but this does help Baker Mayfield quite a bit. In fact, I’d now contemplate opening the 2020 fantasy season with him as my QB1.
-Bobby Sylvester (@bobbyfantasypro)
The obvious answer is David Njoku. It’s hard to see how Njoku can have any sort of fantasy value in this offense. Irv Smith Jr. was the TE2 in Kevin Stefanski’s offense last season and we saw him barely make an impact. We’ll have to see if Cleveland trades Njoku or if they’re planning on utilizing both tight ends.
-Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)
David Njoku will likely be playing elsewhere in 2020 (Green Bay, Chicago, Washington?), though with Stefanski often preferring two-tight end sets, it’s possible he could stay. He’ll be the only player that should see a significant impact, but since he was likely outside of the TE-1 conversation anyway, the move may help him if he lands in the right spot.
-Dan Harris (@danharris80)
Other Rapid Reaction Posts
- DeAndre Hopkins, David Johnson Dealt in Blockbuster
- Stefon Diggs Traded to Bills
- Amari Cooper, Dak Prescott Remain in Dallas
- Austin Hooper to the Browns
- Teddy Bridgewater Signing With Panthers
- Drew Brees Remains With Saints
- Derrick Henry Returns to Titans
- A.J. Green Franchised by Bengals
- Ryan Tannehill Re-Signs With Titans
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