Despite the Cleveland Browns starting four different quarterbacks throughout the entire 2023 campaign, TE David Njoku enjoyed a career year across the board.
Does a pairing with a healthy Deshaun Watson make Njoku a top dynasty asset at the TE position heading into the 2024 NFL season?
David Njoku’s Dynasty Outlook
If you were a fantasy football manager rostering Njoku from the start of last season, you probably considered dropping him at some point through the first month of action.
Joe Flacco goes DEEP to David Njoku❕
The #Browns are on the move 👀
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365)
Through the first six weeks, Njoku was the TE22 with just 19 receptions for 162 yards and no scores. His involvement in the passing game was limited, his production was disappointing, and the struggles of the passing game were concerning.
Then something clearly changed around the midpoint of the year.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski started feeding the ball early and often to Njoku in the passing game, and the results were fantasy gold.
From Week 7 through the rest of the season, Njoku was the TE1 in PPR formats with 62 receptions for 720 yards and six scores on 101 targets.
Njoku’s career year totaled 81 receptions for 882 yards and six scores, which earned a career-best TE6 overall finish. The fact he had the best year of his career with Watson, P.J. Walker, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and Joe Flacco under center is interesting.
Quite frankly, this type of production is what many dynasty managers were hoping for when he entered the NFL as a raw, but very talented, TE prospect out of the University of Miami.
The dynasty outlook for Njoku is interesting because it took him a long time to have this type of success. Sure, he did have two previous top-10 fantasy seasons at the TE position in PPR formats earlier in his career, but he failed to top 60 receptions or 650 receiving yards in both of those years.
His dynasty outlook certainly has improved after his great finish to last season, but is now a great sell-high window for a mostly disappointing fantasy producer? Or was his breakout a preview of things to come?
Njoku’s Dynasty Ranking
Where does Njoku land in the dynasty TE landscape going into the 2024 offseason? Here are Derek Tate’s latest rankings, featuring where Njoku lands in comparison to other top names at the position.
Derek Tate’s Top 20 Dynasty TE Rankings
1) Sam LaPorta | DET
2) Dalton Kincaid | BUF
3) Trey McBride | ARI
4) Mark Andrews | BAL
5) T.J. Hockenson | MIN
6) Travis Kelce | KC
7) Kyle Pitts | ATL
8) David Njoku | CLE
9) George Kittle | SF
10) Jake Ferguson | DAL
11) Cole Kmet | CHI
12) Dallas Goedert | PHI
13) Evan Engram | JAX
14) Cade Otton | TB
15) Dalton Schultz | HOU
16) Darren Waller | NYG
17) Chigoziem Okonkwo | TEN
18) Hunter Henry | NE
19) Isaiah Likely | BAL
20) Michael Mayer | LV
Should You Trade Njoku in Dynasty?
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Njoku looked dominant on the football field toward the end of the year, finally putting it all together to scratch the surface of his high fantasy ceiling.
Though some questions remain about the level of his quarterback play and lack of production with Watson under center this year — with Amari Cooper being his go-to pass catcher — Njoku definitely turned a corner and saw an expanded role in this offense.
MORE: Dynasty vs. Keeper Leagues
I’m not sure I would give up a boatload of assets to acquire Njoku — who is set to turn 28 this summer — at this moment, but I do see him being a productive player over the next few seasons.
Personally, I’d rather sell high on Njoku’s strong finish to the year and cash out on a player who took a long time to finally have a breakout year.
