Should I Start David Njoku?

Friday, August 14, 12:02 PM

Los Angeles Chargers tight end David Njoku landed with a much better quarterback this offseason, but the fantasy setup around him is a lot less comfortable. Njoku caught 33 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games for Cleveland last season, well below the 81-882-6 line he posted in 2023. Justin Herbert gives him a chance to rebound, especially near the goal line, where 26 of Njoku's 34 career touchdowns have come. The problem is finding enough work between the 20s. Oronde Gadsden II is coming off a 49-catch, 664-yard rookie season, Charlie Kolar was added in free agency, and the Chargers' first unofficial depth chart lists all three with an OR designation at tight end. Njoku has flashed in the red zone during camp, but there still isn't much separation in this group. RotoBaller has him at TE33 in half-PPR. The quarterback upgrade is real, but without a clearer route and target advantage, Njoku looks more like a touchdown-dependent TE3 than someone to trust in standard redraft leagues.