The fantasy football landscape shifts each week, bringing fresh opportunities and unexpected challenges that separate the prepared from the pretenders. Savvy managers know that last week’s performance tells only part of the story, and diving deeper into the underlying metrics reveals the accurate picture.
This week presents some intriguing decisions. Here’s insight about key Cleveland Browns players heading into their matchup with the Minnesota Vikings to help you craft a winning lineup.
Dillon Gabriel, QB
Reports surfaced on Tuesday that the Browns will shift to Dillon Gabriel this week over Joe Flacco, a move that felt inevitable.
Cleveland is going nowhere fast, so why not get a look at the rookie?
Superflex managers should take note just because any starting QB has a path to lineups in that format, but I’m not expecting his numbers to look drastically different from Flacco’s, and that’s of little use in redraft leagues.
Quinshon Judkins, RB
Quinshon Judkins ranks seventh at the position in gain rate (87.8%) and second in yards per carry after first contact. He’s already one of the hardest running backs in the sport, and it would seem that the Browns finally opened their eyes to that last week.
After messing around with a few Joe Flacco attempts, Cleveland called Judkins’ number on the doorstep in Detroit, and he paid it off. We saw some glimpses of creativity after that, including a play-action screen pass where he was the focal point for the entire play and picked up 16 yards in the process.
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The Browns haven’t scored more than 17 points in a game with Judkins this season, and that’s going to continue to be a limiting factor, but the versatile skill set and unquestioned role give him a top 20 floor in any given week with the potential for more.
Jerry Jeudy, WR
With Cedric Tillman out for this week and likely more, you’re probably going to have to get comfortable at least considering Jerry Jeudy as a top 30 receiver.
The numbers haven’t been there yet (13 catches in four games with zero games of 70+ yards), but with 8+ targets and a 25+ yard catch in three of four games, there are some signs that he could be nearing his best week of the season.
Starting next week.
In 2024, 29.7% of his targets came deep downfield, but that rate has spiked to 43.3% through four weeks this season. That’s great in spots where the home run ball is available, but opponents have the second-lowest aDOT against the Vikings this season, which will make accessing a ceiling game difficult.
The Browns get the Steelers and Dolphins in Weeks 6-7, two of the five worst pass defenses in the league. I think you sit Jeudy this week, maybe even buy low, with the hope that the breakout isn’t far away.
David Njoku, TE
If not for the production David Njoku provided over the previous two seasons, would we still consider him for lineups?
He hasn’t cleared 40 receiving yards in a game as a part of this broken offense, and his route count has dropped each week as Cleveland has gained confidence in their running game (41 routes in Week 1, followed by 39, 29, 27 since).
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He was a volume play last season (8.8 targets per game), but that’s nearly impossible to replicate in this offense that operates out of a two-TE base setting and is rarely in a rush.
Cleveland is currently a top 10 team in terms of average time of possession, and if that slips at all, what little we are getting from Njoku could completely dry up. There aren’t many names on the waiver wire these days, so I don’t blame you for holding, but he’s outside of the circle of trust, and I’d be willing to pivot if given the opportunity.
