David Njoku start or sit: Week 1 fantasy football advice

Last year Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku put together his best fantasy season as a pro, as he tallied 628 receiving yards and four touchdowns on a career-high 58 catches despite the team’s uncertainty at quarterback. Here’s what his 2023 season could look like.

Fantasy Football analysis: Browns TE David Njoku

As mentioned above, Njoku put together a TE1-worthy year last season despite having a revolving door at quarterback that included six ineffective games from Deshaun Watson. Coming into last season, Njoku was more of a potential pick than one made because of a strong track record (his best PPR season was 9.6 ppg in 2021), but he blew that out of the door last year, finishing with an average of 10.1 ppg along with tallying at last five fantasy points in 10 of the 14 games he was active for.

Start or sit in Week 1 PPR leagues?

Start.

Njoku has had all of camp to develop a rhythm with Watson after his production took a hit under the much-maligned quarterback last season. Njoku was a bonafide TE1 during the first half of last year, and I think he’ll continue that trend this year. While I don’t think he’s a must-start as a FLEX, he’s worth a start as your tight end, so long as you don’t have a big name in front of him.

Start or sit in Week 1 standard leagues?

Start.

Njoku’s a unique tight end in that his athleticism allows for him to do most of his damage after the catch with the ball in his hands. His value isn’t in picking up small-yardage catches, it’s in getting him out in space and letting him make people miss. He’s also a huge red zone target who is a better athlete than most linebackers, which he’s taken advantage of in red zone situations in years prior.

Player(s) you would start ahead of Njoku

When it comes to the tight end position, it’s the big names. If you have someone from the Njoku, Andrews, or Kittle tier, then he should stay on your bench. But if you’re rolling with Njoku and someone like Dalton Schultz as your tight ends, then Njoku should get the start.

When it comes to the FLEX position, FantasyPros has Njoku ranked as the No. 92 ranked player between Odell Beckham Jr. and Allen Lazard, who Njoku should start over, as I think he holds more value at a flex position compared to an older wide receiver on a new team. If you feel comfortable that the rest of your lineup can handle a bust from Njoku, then he makes sense as a FLEX.