Austin Hooper Injury Update Erases Week 7 Fantasy Outlook

Cleveland Browns tight end Austin Hooper (appendicitis) has been ruled out of the team's Week 7 clash with the Cincinnati Bengals. It's a bummer because Hooper was just starting to get into a groove with Baker Mayfield, posting back-to-back games with at least 50 receiving yards.

With Hooper out, David Njoku and promising rookie tight end Harrison Bryant theoretically get a boost in fantasy value, but the Browns' passing attack isn't good enough to make either a trustworthy start.

David Njoku Fantasy Outlook

Of the two, Njoku seems to have a better shot at putting up a solid fantasy day, even as he's the subject of trade rumors. Njoku had a big game in Week 1, turning 3 targets into 3 catches for 50 receiving yards and a TD. He missed the team's next three games with injuries, however, and he has taken a backseat to Hooper in the two games since he's been back.

He draws a great matchup against the Bengals here, but he has only seen a combined 4 targets over the last two weeks. Njoku is a high-risk, high-reward option in Week 7, but he should only really be considered by desperate, TE-needy fantasy managers.

Harrison Bryant Fantasy Outlook

Bryant is a much riskier start. Though he's played in all 6 games this season, he has yet to see more than 4 targets in a single game, and that came when Njoku was out. Bryant has played 40% of the snaps or less in each of the last two games, recording 3 total targets in that time.

If you need a Hail Mary option at tight end, Bryant could be an okay option. But there are better streaming options at tight end this week, and Njoku is the preferred play of the two.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.