The Browns are still sorting out their target share situation after trading Amari Cooper to the Bills and moving to Jameis Winston ($9,600 in Showdown) as their starting QB after the season-ending injury to Deshaun Watson. Last week, Elijah Moore ($6,400) had a season-high 18.6 fantasy points by catching six-of-eight targets for 66 yards and a touchdown vs. the Saints. Can you trust him to start in Week 12 as the Browns take on the Steelers on Thursday Night Football? Let’s take a look.
Elijah Moore’s season so far
With Winston at QB, Moore has definitely been getting enough targets to be viable as an addition if you are stretched thin at the position due to all the Week 12 bye weeks. In Winston’s three starts, he has gotten 12, nine, and eight targets and hauled in a total of 17 passes.
Moore’s upside is limited, though, since most of his catches are for short yardage. He has 39 catches this year but is averaging only 8.1 yards per catch. In PPR scoring, he’s still a relatively safe value option because of all the short catches, especially if he finds the end zone like he did last week.
Cedric Tillman ($7,000) remains the Browns’ primary deep threat and field-stretching option. Jerry Jeudy ($8,000) is also coming off a big game with a season-high 29.2 fantasy points against the Saints.
The way all three receivers and David Njoku ($7,600) have been all getting enough targets is that Winston has had to air it out in all three of his starts, attempting over 40 passes per contest.
This week against the Steelers, that kind of run/pass mix could be tricky due to both the strong pass rush and the adverse weather conditions. Thursday’s forecast currently calls for 20-mph swirling winds and 90% chance of precipitation, so it could be an ugly, run-heavy contest.
The Verdict: Sit unless you’re desperate
I do think Elijah Moore can be an emergency option, but I wouldn’t rank him in my top 35 receivers for this week. If you’re out of other options, he does have PPR potential, but his lack of ceiling and the high chance that the Browns rely on Nick Chubb ($9,000) and the ground game make him high risk for both season-long leagues and for DFS contests like the NFL $1.25M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].
The Browns are 3.5-point home underdogs against the Steelers, and Moore is +390 to find the end zone.
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