Fantasy Football Player Notes
2024 Draft Rankings
47.
Amari Cooper
WR
Amari Cooper's season-long statistics were impressive during the fantasy football season despite playing with 4 different QBs. 10th in yards (1,250) and tied for second behind only Tyreek Hill in 20 yards gains (42). 10th-highest air yards share at 41%.
17th in points per game (12.7) as the WR18 overall through 17 games. But projecting Cooper ahead, we can look at his 5-game splits with Deshaun Watson has his QB. 23% target share, 42% air yards share were in-line with his full season long usage numbers. Averaged just under 100 receiving yards per game. 14.8 fantasy points per game (6th) and 15.7 expected fantasy points per game (15th). |
65.
Nick Chubb
RB
Chubb's 2023 season was cut short in Week 2 due to a gruesome injury. I don't want to say the deck is stacked against Chubb to be a meaningful contributor in 2024, but it won't be a cakewalk. Chubb will be entering his age-29 season, and the team can save nearly 12 million against the cap if they cut him. Don't be surprised if Cleveland does part ways with Chubb either before or after the NFL Draft. His 2023 outlook is currently in limbo.
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96.
David Njoku
TE
David Njoku was superb in in 2023, his seventh NFL season, establishing new single-season highs in receptions (81), receiving yards (882) and touchdowns (6). But Njoku was far more productive with Joe Flacco at quarterback than he was with Deshaun Watson and other QBs. In the six games he played with Flacco (including the playoffs), Njoku averaged 6.2 receptions and 80.5 receiving yards per game, and he had four TD catches. In 11 games with QBs other than Flacco, Njoku averaged 4.6 receptions and 44.7 receiving yards per game, and he had two TD catches. In the five full games Watson played, Njoku averaged 4.0 catches and 35.2 receiving yards a game, with one TD catch. Njoku is one of the most athletic tight ends in the league, and despite his ample NFL experience, he'll only be 28 when the new season begins. The question is whether Njoku can replicate the success he had with Flacco as his quarterback if the Browns, as expected, open the season with Watson as their starting QB.
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102.
Jerome Ford
RB
Nick Chubb isn't assuredly returning to the Browns for 2024. He's an unrestricted free agent in 2025, and if Cleveland cut him this offseason, they could save roughly 11.8 million against the cap. Jerome Ford could be their starting tailback again this season. Last season, in Weeks 3-17, when Ford was the starter, he averaged 14.9 touches and 66.6 total yards as the RB20 in fantasy. Ford played well, ranking 13th in missed tackles forced per attempt and 16th in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). If he is the team's starter again this season, he should be considered an RB2 with upside. He could see even more work this season if the team doesn't sign or draft someone or feel that Pierre Strong is up to the task of assuming Kareem Hunt's role.
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126.
Jerry Jeudy
WR
Jeudy, showcased his route running finesse and quickness, turning his 54 receptions on 87 targets into 758 receiving yards, averaging 14 yards per catch in 2023. However, finding the end zone was less frequent for Jeudy, with only 2 touchdowns to his name. Over the season, he accumulated 114.8 fantasy points, coming out to an average of 7.2 points per game to a WR50 overall finish. Both Courtland Sutton and Jeudy had 1,000-plus air yards (36% vs 37%), around 90 targets (21% vs 20%), 750-plus receiving yards and just under 60 receptions. Hard to see Jeudy breaking the fantasy WR3 mold unless we get elite QB play from Deshaun Watson, in addition to the newcomer playing/earning a full-time role.
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145.
Deshaun Watson
QB
Will we ever again see the early-career version of Deshaun Watson -- the one who was a top-five fantasy quarterback in each of his first three full seasons as an NFL starter? Watson has struggled to recapture the magic of his run with the Texans from 2018 to 2020. He was understandably rusty when he made his Browns debut late in the 2022 season after serving an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy. Watson wasn't significantly better in six 2023 starts for the Browns before a shoulder injury ended his season. In each of his two abbreviated seasons with Cleveland, Watson has averaged 15.1 fantasy points per game. He's completed 59.8% of his passes over the last two years and has averaged 6.5 yards per attempt. Watson turns 29 at the beginning of the 2024 season, and it's seeming less and less likely that he'll ever recapture the electrifying form he showed when he first burst onto the NFL scene. Approach with caution.
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154.
Elijah Moore
WR
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173.
Cleveland Browns
DST
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232.
Kareem Hunt
RB
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242.
Dustin Hopkins
K
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248.
Cedric Tillman
WR
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262.
Pierre Strong Jr.
RB
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424.
David Bell
WR
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428.
Nyheim Hines
RB
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483.
Adam Trautman
TE
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506.
Jameis Winston
QB
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