In 2023, Harold Fannin Jr. was labeled as a toolsy tight end that had the potential to be interesting at Bowling Green if he put everything together. The following season, all he did was catch 117 passes for 1,555 yards and 10 scores. That breakout landed him in the third round of the 2025 draft and the confidence of the Cleveland Browns to weaponize him in a way that was awfully friendly for fantasy football managers in his rookie season.
Should You Draft Harold Fannin in Fantasy Football?
Talk about making the most of a shaky situation. Fannin was drafted by a franchise that was 32nd in scoring offense in 2024 and set to enter 2025 with more questions than answers.
That part proved true as they finished 31st in points per game last season, but that didn’t stop this 6-foot-4 240-pound rare athlete from impressing. The final stat line (72-731-6) was well above expectations and I’d argue that the strong finish is reason for more optimism than the raw stats suggest.
Fannin had eight TE1 finishers in his first season, a run that included four straight such finishes when we needed it most (Weeks 13-16). He was the fourth highest scoring TE over that stretch and averaged 17.1 PPR PPG. Not only did that top Brock Bowers, it was better than Amon-Ra St. Brown and George Pickens at the most critical time of the fantasy season.
Once he got acclimated to the speed of the pro game, there was essentially no stopping him. Not a defense that could contain him and not a quarterback situation that stood in his way.
Weeks 6-17, Players With a 24% Target Share and 5 TDs
- Jaxon Smith Njigba
- Amon-Ra St. Brown
- AJ Brown
- Chris Olave
- Trey McBride
- Tetairoa McMillan
- Puka Nacua
- Fannin
That’s a big-time list.
There are obvious question marks in Cleveland. The state of the QB position remains uncertain at best and the team did load up on receivers at the draft. Those moving pieces could give Fannin a lower weekly floor than the tight ends in this second tier, but the raw ability and the proof of capability when it comes to rising above an iffy offensive environment make him a great pick in the middle rounds with tremendous upside.
Fannin’s Dynasty Fantasy Football Value
We are talking about a kid entering his age-22 season that showed the physical prowess to take on defensive schemes that we very much slanted in his direction as a rookie. The arrow is pointing straight up for Fannin, understanding that the play around him really has nowhere to go but up in the coming years.
Tyler Warren and Kyle Pitts are two other tight ends in the first half of their respective careers with QB concerns. The physicality of Warren intrigues me a little more than Fannin, but that is the pool we are generally swimming in with Pitts being the eldest of the bunch. Tight ends can be a tough investment in dynasty situations because the shelf life isn’t always what we want and physical decline can happen fast, but Fannin is a player that you can let others have at a discount.
We haven’t even tapped into a fraction of what is possible. That could be true again this season, but if you’re a dynasty manager in the business of rostering talent, Fannin deserves to be circled on your cheat sheet and highlighted in leagues that are already in motion as a player to watch in the trade market.
