Who Should I Start? Tyler Higbee or David Njoku

Wednesday, February 28, 4:37 PM

Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (knee) suffered a torn ACL in the team's Wild Card loss to the Detroit Lions on January 14, and he has undergone surgery to repair it. However, Rams general manager Les Snead said the veteran's timeline to return is "still unclear." The 31-year-old caught 47 passes for 495 yards and two touchdowns in his eighth NFL season (2023), marking his quietest statistical year since 2018. Given his major injury late in the year, he's likely to begin the 2024 campaign on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list, which would mean he'd have to miss at least the first four games of the season. Regardless of his health, he has limited fantasy upside while sharing a field with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp for the foreseeable future. His peak fantasy value has likely come and gone.

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.