Fantasy Football Player Notes

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.

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.

Another year, another tale of two seasons for the Browns tight end. Njoku finished 5th in fantasy points per game (10.6) and TE11 overall in 11 games played. The Browns TE missed three games to start the year and was placed on season-ending IR after Week 16.
The 29-year-old TE was at his best with Jameis Winston under center, averaging north of 12 points per game (21.1). Equivalent to Brock Bowers.
But for the second straight offseason, Njoku might have another new QB that wasn't part of his hot streak the year before. At worst, Njoku's ability to perform with different QBs the past two seasons is encouraging that he won't completely fall off in 2025 regardless of who is throwing him passes.
I'd also expect Njoku to remain a staple in the offense under new OC Tommy Rees who served as the pass game specialist & tight ends coach for the Browns last season. Njoku finished third in expected points and targets per game (8.5).

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.