Fantasy Football Player Notes

The Browns selected Judkins in the second round of the NFL Draft to be their new early down volume thumper. With Judkins and Dylan Sampson added to this depth chart, I expect Jerome Ford to become a sparsely utilized change-of-pace option. I wasn't high on Judkins as a prospect, as he ranked outside the top 65 backs in each of the last two seasons in yards after contact per attempt and elusive rating (per PFF). The draft capital and immediate high-volume role have helped to quell some of my pessimism, but Judkins could be held back by the overall ecosystem of the Browns' offense and his lack of pass game upside. Cleveland's starting quarterback situation is murky at best. Judkins finished college with 0.76 yards per route run, which isn't an awe-inspiring number. He's an RB2/3 for 2025.

Jerry Jeudy finally delivered a WR1 season in 2024, finishing as the WR12 overall with 90 catches for 1,229 yards and 4 touchdowns on 145 targets - despite leading the league with 13 drops. His late-season surge was fueled by injuries to other Browns pass-catchers and Amari Cooper's midseason trade. From Week 12 on, Jeudy averaged 16.3 points per game (WR4 overall) and consistently cleared his receiving yards prop with Jameis Winston under center. However, with a murky 2025 QB situation and return of Cedric Tillman and David Njoku, Jeudy's clear-cut target leader status is far from guaranteed. He's a regression candidate in fantasy and a risky bet to repeat his WR1 output.

Following the best season if his career in 2023, David Njoku missed six games in 2024 with ankle hamstring and knee injuries, and his efficiency plummeted. Njoku finished with 64-505-5 in 11 games last season. He averaged a career-low 7.9 yards per catch and only 5.2 yards per target. But with the right quarterback, Njoku can be a fantasy force. In games he played with QB Jameis Winston last year, Njoku averaged 10.3 targets a game and scored five TDs over a seven-game stretch. He was TE4 in PPR fantasy points per game (16.4) over that period. The Browns' QB situation looks messy for 2025, but one of the candidates to make starts at quarterback is Joe Flacco, who really clicked with Njoku when they played together in Cleveland in 2023. When Flacco made five late-season starts for the Browns that year, Njoku had 30-390-4 and was TE2 in PPR fantasy points per game (18.2) over that span. Njoku could be a value in 2025 fantasy drafts entering his age-29 season, but his fortunes are tied to the Cleveland quarterbacks, which isn't exactly reassuring.

Cedric Tillman flashed major second-year breakout potential in 2024, stepping up as the Browns' top wideout after Amari Cooper's departure and Jameis Winston's promotion to QB1. From Weeks 7-12, Tillman averaged 12.8 fantasy points per game (WR16), totaling 330 receiving yards and clearly outproducing Jerry Jeudy during that stretch. Unfortunately, a concussion cut his season short, sidelining him for the final six games. Now fully healthy and with past chemistry with Joe Flacco, Tillman is well-positioned to re-emerge as a key piece in Cleveland's passing game and could be a sneaky value pick in 2025 drafts.

Sampson joins the Cleveland Browns after being selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. He'll pair with Quinshon Judkins, forming the new-look duo for the Browns' rushing attack. Yes, Jerome Ford remains on the roster, and Sampson has to outplay him to earn the RB2 job in 2025 officially, but I think that will happen because Cleveland's selection of two backs inside the top four rounds of the NFL Draft speaks volumes about their lack of faith in Ford. This easily could be Cleveland getting an updated version of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt for their offense. No, I'm not saying there's a direct comparison with talent, but the usage could be similar. In 2023, Sampson ranked sixth in receiving grade and 14th in yards per route run (per PFF), so there are some reasons to be encouraged with his profile if he does take over the passing down duties for the Browns.

Harold Fannin put up absurd numbers at Bowling Green last season, catching 117 passes for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns. The good news about Fannin's NFL landing spot is that the Browns spent a third-round pick on him. The bad news is that Cleveland already has David Njoku as its primary tight end. Fannin's hands and movement skills should translate to the NFL -- eventually. But at 230 pounds, Fannin might not be an every-down tight end. The prospects of a fantasy-relevant season for Fannin in 2025 seem remote at best.

Joe Flacco is the favorite to be the Browns' starting quarterback in Week 1 of the 2025 season, but Cleveland has a crowded QB room. The Browns also signed former Steeler Kenny Pickett in the offseason, then drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. After his 11-year run with the Ravens, Flacco has reinvented himself as a daring gunslinger late in his career. In stints with the Jets, Browns and Colts over the last five years, Flacco has averaged 269.9 passing yards over 20 starts, with 36 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. The Browns have incentive to give Gabriel and Sanders 2025 auditions before they decide whether to take a quarterback in what looks like a QB-rich 2026 draft, so the 40-year-old Flacco may not be the starter for long. But Flacco is such an aggressive thrower that he'll be fantasy-viable for as long as he starts.