The Browns selected Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft, but they started veteran Joe Flacco in the first four weeks of the season. Gabriel earned the starting spot in Week 5, but the situation wasn’t ideal. The game was in London against the Minnesota Vikings and defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who’s been known to pressure and confuse even the best quarterbacks.
Gabriel performed well considering the circumstances, going 19-of-33 for 190 yards and two touchdowns. The yards per attempt were a paltry 5.8, with the tight end David Njoku leading the way with six receptions on nine targets for 67 yards and a touchdown.
In the first four games of the season with Flacco under center, Njoku didn’t clear 40 yards receiving or score a touchdown. With Flacco gone and Gabriel under center, is Njoku now a TE1 for fantasy?
For Week 5, Njoku’s 18.7 PPR FPTS put him at seventh among tight ends, but one week does not make a hero. That said, the bar is low for tight end. AJ Barner has 14 receptions on 16 targets for 134 yards, but he’s scored four touchdowns. He’s the No. 11 tight end this season.
It’s likely that Njoku is a TE1, but there are obstacles on that yellow brick road. For starters, Harold Fannin Jr. is a significant part of the offense. Fannin has played at least 60% of the snaps in every contest with three games over 70% and a high of 85%. His 28 targets are only two less than Njoku’s 30. In addition, both Njoku and Fannin have four red zone looks.
Cleveland unsurprisingly uses 12 personnel at the highest rate in the league at 50.6%. With both tight ends on the field, I could see games in which Fannin is the one to get more targets and score the touchdown. Because there is another option at tight end, the volatility rises.
Gabriel only averaged 5.8 yards per attempt in Week 5 but, in college, he had a career 8.9 yards per attempt. As he gets more comfortable and plays defenses not as stout as Minnesota, Gabriel could start looking down the field more to Jerry Jeudy. So, Njoku dominating the target share in Week 5 isn’t necessarily how things will flow going forward.
The other uncertainty is Njoku’s status as a member of the Browns. Njoku is 29 years old and in the last year of his contract. He’s an unrestricted free agent after this season. Cleveland was high on Fannin and selected him in the third round of the draft to prepare for life without Njoku. With Cleveland currently at 1-4 with a rookie quarterback under center, the prospects for playoff contention are slim. As a result, there’s a chance that Njoku gets traded to a contender, which could be a boon or a detriment. We just don’t know at this time.
