Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or David Njoku

Monday, March 11, 2:57 PM

Free-agent running back Saquon Barkley is signing with the Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million deal. The deal includes $26 million in guaranteed money and has an additional $9 million available in incentives. After a 2018 rookie season that saw the former Penn State star go for over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns, he has struggled to stay healthy over a chunk of the next five years of his career. He missed 21 games from 2019 to 2021. He bounced back in 2022 with 1,312 rushing yards but regressed to 962 yards in 14 games in 2023. However, the Eagles believe in him as a game-changing running back, as his average salary ($12.58 million) ranks only below Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, and Jonathan Taylor. Although the Eagles' offensive line could take a hit after the retirement of Jason Kelce, Barkley should be playing behind the best offensive line of his career in 2024. He will have an immediate high-end RB1 upside in fantasy football.

Sunday, January 14, 8:16 AM

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku caught seven of his 11 targets for 93 yards in a 45-14 loss to the Houston Texans in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday. Njoku wound up leading the team in targets and receiving yards in the loss, capping off an extraordinary late-season run for the athletic tight end. Njoku wound up turning in a career year this past season, setting career-highs in catches (81), yards (882), and touchdowns (six). Njoku showed excellent chemistry with veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, who targeted the big tight end heavily over his six-game stretch of starts. The veteran will be back as Cleveland's starting tight end for the 2024 season, although he will likely go back to catching passes from Deshaun Watson and not Flacco.