Getty Gallery: 2/5
Start: TE David Njoku at Texans
Sit: TE Austin Hooper vs. Ravens
David Njoku may not have the best matchup this week against the Texans, but the Browns tight end is becoming a must-start. Njoku had five receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals. The Browns tight end has seen an uptick in production since Baker Mayfield took over at quarterback earlier this season.
After the Browns victory over the Bengals, Mayfield spoke about why the Cleveland offense is starting to click.
"Good calls and good execution," Mayfield said per UPI.com. "My offensive line and our guys were making plays. They're protecting. I'm getting the ball out quickly, getting it into our playmakers' hands, and they're doing the rest...We're taking shots when they're there, and we're able to play aggressive. Against a team like that, you want to start fast. They're a team that starts fast, so we needed to do that. We were emphasizing that all week, but yeah, a lot of that can be attributed to Freddie. Everything seemed to be working, but that's the way we want it here in Cleveland."
While the Browns overall offense should take a hit against the Texans, Njoku appears to be one of the more consistent fantasy options on the team. You can still feel comfortable starting Njoku in your fantasy lineup against the Texans.
The Falcons Offense Faces a Difficult Ravens Defense
Just when the Falcons offense was starting to click, it appears the unit is stuck in reverse. Austin Hooper has had his fair share of good games this season, but the Falcons tight end has become hard to consistently depend on. Over the last two weeks, Hooper has had nine receptions for just 58 yards.
Hooper spent time this offseason working with Matt Ryan, and it appeared the work was paying off earlier this season. Atlanta has been decimated by injuries on the defensive side of the ball, but that does not explain why things have become stagnant on offense.
The Ravens are allowing the second-fewest passing yards in the league at 203 per game. The team has had its struggles down the stretch, but it has not been because of the defense. Ravens safety Eric Weddle noted back in October that defense has been the foundation of the franchise for many years.
"The game has changed over the years, but good players, good coaching and sound defense can always make things tough on offense," Weddle told ESPN. "Baltimore is known for defense. It shouldn’t be that surprising that we play that well on defense."
With the Ravens defense coming to Atlanta, there are better options than Hooper this week at tight end.