Harold Fannin Jr. broke records at the tight end position in college before the Cleveland Browns selected him in the 2025 NFL Draft. Despite splitting snaps with veteran David Njoku, the young talent quickly emerged as a fantasy football darling with some quality performances through his first seven games. With Week 7’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins on the horizon, Njoku’s status may be in question due to a knee injury suffered in the Browns’ previous game.
If the veteran sits, is Harold Fannin Jr. a must-start tight end for Week 7 fantasy lineups?
Analysis
Njoku is day-to-day with his knee issue and did not practice on Wednesday. Now, that practice status is certainly subject to change as his condition does in the coming days, but for the purposes of this piece, we’ll assume he doesn’t suit on on Sunday against Miami. In that case, Harold Fannin Jr. takes a step up the depth chart and assume the Browns’ primary tight end role.
Through the first six weeks of the season, Njoku and Fannin have shared the field plenty as the team uses 12 personnel often, keeping both tight ends out there. The lowest snap share either player logged thus far (barring injury) was a 63% mark for Fannin in Week 2, and even he’s played at least 72% of snaps in four of six contests. With that in mind, the rookie probably won’t see a major increase in snap count since he’s already playing a starter’s share of opportunities on a near-weekly basis.
However, what may change for Fannin is the target volume. To this point, Njoku has seen 36 targets with a 15.45% target share, while Fannin has seen 38 looks with a 16.31% target share. The tight end is clearly a priority in this passing attack which is now led by rookie Dillon Gabriel, a former Heisman Trophy candidate who posted some excellent numbers over his final two seasons of college football. If Njoku misses this game, fantasy players can expect Fannin to see a greater share of targets from Gabriel based on his teammate’s absence, but the reasoning doesn’t stop there. At Bowling Green last year, Fannin set a new NCAA record for tight ends with 117 receptions — since targets are largely earned rather than simply given, he’s proven he can command significant target share as the focal point of a passing attack.
Fannin also makes the most of his opportunities. Not only did he set a collegiate receptions record, but his 1,555 receiving yards were also a record-breaking mark for the position. He’s a quality athlete who can create after the catch and work mismatches with versatile alignment in the slot, so that also boosts his upside in a featured role.
The 6-foot-4 tight end has caught 28 of 38 targets this season for 254 yards and one touchdown. With an increased role this week, the opportunity to pad those stats seems quite intriguing. If Njoku is inactive, expect something in the realm of eight or so targets for Fannin with plenty of PPR upside against a Dolphins team with one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses (21st in pass yards allowed, 31st in defensive EPA/pass) and an offense which may be able to challenge the Browns and force a somewhat pass-happy game script. In that case, fantasy footballers can pencil Fannin in as a rock-solid TE1 option in Week 7. Not too shabby for a rookie.
