David Njoku — 2026 Fantasy Outlook

The Chargers signed Njoku to a one-year deal for $8 million in May. He’s coming off a down season (33/293/4 on 48 targets) while missing five games due to a linger knee injury. His best value came in two games (6/67/1 and 4/37/1). Harold Fannin’s emergence was also a factor in fewer targets and snaps.

Njoku put together the best statistical season of his career in 2023, finishing second on Cleveland in targets (123) and setting personal bests in catches (81), receiving yards (882), and touchdowns (6). He started slowly over the first six games before catching fire over the next 10 matchups, averaging nearly 16.00 PPR fantasy points per game during that stretch with four standout performances. He was one of only six tight ends to crack 200 fantasy points on the season, catching 65.8% of his targets, well above the team's overall completion rate of 56.9%. His 7.7 targets per game suggested his role was only going to grow.

His 2024 season moved in the wrong direction, largely due to health. He missed Weeks 2, 3, and 4 to open the year and came back with three quiet outings before settling in over an eight-game stretch that produced 54 catches for 416 yards and five touchdowns on 82 targets, a pace of 15.70 fantasy points per game that mirrored his 2023 form. Four games of 7-plus catches highlighted that productive run.

However, a hamstring issue cost him Week 15, and a knee problem shut him down for Cleveland's final two games. The most glaring regression came in his yards-per-catch average, which dropped from 10.9 in 2023 to just 7.9, a sign that he was being used more as a short-area safety valve than a dynamic playmaker.