1 fantasy football footnote for every AFC North team

NFL training camp season is here, ladies and gentlemen. Prepare yourself for the deluge of information, rumors, and hype pieces. But fantasy managers needn’t be wary of the influx of information — Scott Pianowski has you covered with a key tidbit for every team. Next up is the AFC North.

(NFC fantasy footnotes: South | East | North | West )

(AFC fantasy footnotes: South | East | North | West )

Cleveland Browns

David Njoku finally realized his immense potential last year and is now the TE5. But it’s worrisome that peak came when the veteran Joe Flacco took the starting job late in the year. Njoku has yet to demonstrate any significant chemistry with starter Deshaun Watson, and it’s been four years since Watson flashed any superstar potential — injuries and off-the-field struggles, not to mention a lengthy suspension, appear to have sapped Watson’s confidence and potential.

As undiscovered as Njoku seems to be on a regular basis, I can’t trust Watson to pay this off. Sometimes it’s a matter of loving the real player but being nervous about the fantasy prospects; unless the draft room gives me a modest Njoku discount, he’ll be an unwilling fade for me during the teeth of draft season.

Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s easy to build a case against running back Najee Harris. His fantasy ranking has dropped in each of the last two seasons, and Jaylen Warren was the most explosive back last season. The Steelers declined Harris’ fifth-year option, so he’s entering a lame duck season.

But maybe some of those circumstances make Harris a decent fantasy asset. Consider that he had more carries than Warren in every game last season, and he also had twice as many touchdowns. The Steelers rebuilt their offensive line in the 2024 draft, and now they welcome back offensive coordinator Arthur Smith — one of the NFL’s most run-happy play callers. Harris is no longer a popular fantasy pick, but there’s something to be said for the boring veteran jam.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens have questions on the offensive line, and Derrick Henry turns 30 in January. If that’s enough to keep you from drafting Henry, I get it. But the Ravens found a way to get Gus Edwards into the end zone 13 times last year, and Henry is clearly a better back than Edwards. Henry also faced standard eight-man boxes last year in Tennessee (about a third of the time); Baltimore’s variety of offensive threats should discourage those defensive-heavy fronts.

Henry has never been a great pass catcher, and Lamar Jackson doesn’t throw much to his back anyway, so Henry gets a knock in any PPR-related format. But this certainly looks like a team that’s in for a Super Bowl run, and Baltimore will likely lean on Henry for short touchdowns and fourth-quarter carries if they want to blow a lead. Henry’s Yahoo ADP is considerably higher than his global ADP, but I have no problem considering him in the second round of the draft, preferably flanked by a couple of signature receivers.

Cincinnati Bengals

When I think of Tee Higgins, the phrase “capped upside” comes to mind. Joe Burrow has 97 career touchdown passes, and a modest 19 have gone to Higgins; Ja’Marr Chase leads Higgins by eight touchdowns despite playing a season less. Oddly enough, Higgins was actually more productive with Jake Browning last year than Burrow was.

It would be wise to throw Higgins’ stats from last year out the window, as both he and Burrow were hampered by injuries. Still, it’s hard not to notice that Higgins ranked 39th in half-point PPR scoring per game, trailing the likes of Adam Thielen and Kendrick Bourne. Higgins has never scored more than seven goals in a season, never allowed more than 110 targets, and never averaged 1,100 yards. I won’t be putting Higgins on this summer’s list unless he’s slated as my WR3.