The Browns’ showdown with the Bengals Thursday will be the first of three straight favorable matchups for quarterback Baker Mayfield, who needs a statement performance. To get that, he’s going to look to tight end Austin Hooper, this week’s must-start in daily fantasy football from DraftKings.
Odell Beckham has the potential to have a big game in Week 2, as Bengals left cornerback Darius Phillips struggled in coverage against Chargers star Mike Williams, but with he and Mayfield still not on the same page,
Hooper is going up against a Bengals defense that allowed 73 yards to tight end Hunter Henry last week, first among all Chargers pass-catchers.
With the Browns focusing on a committee approach at running back between Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, and tight end David Njoku now on injured reserve with a sprained MCL, Hooper has an excellent chance to lead the Browns in targets this week.
Hooper serves as a low-end TE1 while Njoku is sidelined, and he offers the best upside for Cleveland pass-catchers until Mayfield and the Browns offense truly figure out their identity and pecking order.
