Thank you for joining us for our first article ever! We've outlined two
guys we are drafting all over the fantasy realms, in redraft, dynasty,
Best Ball, and beyond. These guys will make significant contributions
to your fantasy teams - without the cost.
Keelan Cole
Keelan Cole is the WR to own in Jacksonville after a nasty injury to their best paid WR in the Jags 3rd preseason game. Jacksonville has added plenty of depth in their WR corps and seem to be taking a next man up approach. Despite not having the draft pedigree of last year’s 4th Rounder, Dede Westbrook, or this year’s 2nd Rounder DJ Chark, Keelan Cole may be carving himself out as the guy to own in fantasy.
Playing at small DII school in Kentucky didn’t exactly help Cole crack his way into the 2017 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t seem to have slowed him down any. Out of all undrafted free agents active in the 2017 NFL Season, Cole ranked only #5 in yardage - only behind guys like Adam Thielen and Doug Baldwin. Not bad company.
Cole was able to make significant contributions despite only starting 6 games last season. He finished his rookie year with 748 yards and 3 TDs - 637 of those yards coming after the week 8 bye. Cole definitely caught the eye of Jags QB Blake Bortles midseason, making a jump from a 10.7% target share in the first half of 2017, all the way to 18.9% by second half. With Lee’s 18% target share up for grabs, we should expect a modest increase in opportunity which can only help his cause.
Cole has room to grow in the efficiency category, making receptions on only 50.6% of targets through his rookie season. History shows it can be done, however. Future Hall of Famer, Larry Fitzgerald had a catch rate of only 50.4% his rookie season but boasted a similar stat line to Cole - 780 yards on 58 receptions. I think we all know how his career has turned out. Despite Lee's injury, his stock is still relatively low. If you can snag him this week in the double digit rounds, he's a steal.
David Njoku
Fresh off HBO’s Hard Knocks comes the Weekly BallBlaster’s 2018 TE Breakout, David Njoku. He’s headed into his sophomore season with a decent stat line of 32 receptions 386 yards and 4 TD’s. He’s got slim competition in Cleveland atthe TE position, and with improved quarterback play, we think this is the year Njoku takes it to the next level.
Although it’s hard to argue with their 1-31 record over the past two seasons, the Cleveland Browns have put up incredibly viable fantasy numbers for those keeping the hope. During one of the longest in-season losing streaks in NFL history, the Browns blew through 6 quarterbacks before finally acquiring Bills QB Tyrod Taylor this offseason.
During his run with the Bills, Taylor proved himself a serviceable quarterback with a winning record of 22-20, finally leading them to a short playoff run last season. Despite drafting QB Baker Mayfield first overall in 2018, Coach Hue Jackson has continually voiced support for Tyrod as their starting quarterback. As luck would have it for Njoku, Tyrod likes to throw to his tight end. A lot. Out of his 420 pass attempts last season, 27% went to his TEs, namely Charles Clay.
Aside from having sheer opportunity on the hopeful Brown offense, Njoku has the draft pedigree and has shown ability to stretch the field and is a powerhouse in the redzone on the few opportunities the Browns have had there. His combine data was impressive, and metrics show him as comparable to Travis Kelce.
On his down side, Njoku has historically been prone to drops. This is an issue he’s dealt with in college, but if Hard Knocks shows any grain of truth, it looks as though he’s been putting in some extra practice to make improvements in that arena. He’s still a young player and learning the position, but if the Browns can make the leaps and bounds their fans are hopeful for, Njoku can be a great pick, currently going in the 9th round.
