David Njoku, Tight End
Our next potential breakout candidate has generated well-warranted buzz across the fantasy football realms, second-year tight end David Njoku. The 2017 first round pick hauled in 32 of his 58 targets for 386 yards and four touchdowns last year. He went through ups and downs in regard to consistency like anyone would expect from a 20-year-old rookie. One could also argue Njoku’s production could have been greater if he wasn’t subject to Hue Jackson’s atrocious play calling and DeShone Kizer’s league leading 22 interceptions.
Njoku won’t have to worry about Jackson’s plays or Kizer’s picks in 2018. The team brought in former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley to run the offense and traded for Tyrod Taylor to be the starting quarterback. Haley’s offenses in Pittsburgh were prolific, finishing four straight seasons in the top 10 in scoring. Taylor often featured tight end Charles Clay in Buffalo, targeting him at least 74 times per season from 2015-2017. Njoku is by far the most talented tight end Haley has worked with in recent years. It will be exciting to see the different ways he plans to utilize him.
David Njoku = TE1
-21-years old
-81st-percentile SPARQ-x score
-1 of 11 TEs with 8+ catches of 20+ yards in 2017 pic.twitter.com/dfC2lJj6VZ— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) March 31, 2018
Additional Njoku Notes
- Njoku was one of 11 tight ends with 8+ catches of 20 or more yards last season. – Ian Hartitz Fantasy Labs
- Drafted at just 20 years old, Njoku became just the fifth tight end to record 30 receptions, 300 yards at age 21 season: Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski, Jason Witten, Aaron Hernandez, and Njoku. –Stockburger, NFLMocks.com
- Even in his limited action in 2017, Njoku graded out as PFF’s 10th-best receiving tight end. He also had the fourth-best average depth of target (11.6) among all tight ends that played at least 50 percent of their team’s snaps. – Dan Clasgens Pro Football Focus
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