Conviction means possessing a agency, unwavering perception in one thing. In fantasy soccer, it’s typically counterproductive to have a take so firmly held due to the ever-changing panorama of fantasy soccer and the real-life NFL as an entire. That is what makes this sport a lot enjoyable: having an evolving sandbox of 17 (or 18 when you play in Week 18) completely different weeks through which to play this sport inside a sport that we love.
Through the years, I’ve been lucky in my profession to nail a few of my convictions on gamers like Robert Woods, Tee Higgins and Christian Watson. Of course, there have additionally been duds like Laviska Shenault Jr., Elijah Moore and Chase Claypool. While I like extensive receivers, tight ends are beginning to matter far more in fantasy, because the depth on the place for fantasy soccer will increase by the season.
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Gone are the times of simply Travis Kelce and George Kittle on the high of the tight finish rankings and good luck to everyone else scraping by on the place. Those days are within the mud as we now have a youthful infusion of elite tight finish manufacturing that has been tearing up the NFL with Brock Bowers and Trey McBride main the cost, plus Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren prepared to interrupt into that elite tier. A reputation that isn’t talked about sufficient: Harold Fannin Jr.
Recapping Fannin’s 2025 Rookie Season
Fannin’s Rookie Stats
Fannin’s 2025 began on a excessive observe, with a team-leading 9 targets in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals. Even extra importantly, he ran a route on nearly 65% of drop-backs in his debut. That was alongside David Njoku (85% routes), so it confirmed clear intent for the Browns to get a proficient participant like Fannin on the sphere instantly.
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Typically, with rookies, we see a sluggish burn of getting them on the sphere in particular conditions after which ramping up their on-field involvement till they’re full-time starters. That was not the case with Fannin, as he ran fairly just a few routes when Njoku was wholesome. When Njoku missed time in Week 7, Fannin noticed routes at an 87% clip. He additionally loved a stretch from (Week 12 by way of Week 16) the place he by no means dipped beneath 80% earlier than succumbing to a groin harm in Week 17 that ended his season.
As the mud settled on 2025 and after finishing some full-season accounting, Fannin completed as fantasy TE6 in general fantasy factors. A stat line of 72 receptions, 731 yards and 6 touchdowns will definitely do this; all nice numbers for any tight finish, a lot much less a rookie on a putrid Cleveland Browns staff that was held again by their quarterbacking for many of the season.
The proven fact that Fannin earned heavy quantity as a second tight finish for a lot of the season actually speaks to his expertise by way of catching the ball and incomes targets. Fannin delivered his rookie season manufacturing after posting a 117-catch, 1,555-yard junior season at Bowling Green in 2024 earlier than declaring for the NFL Draft, in spite of everything.
Fannin’s 2025 season put him in some uncommon air amongst tight ends, as he led all NFL tight ends in targets per route run (TPRR) final season, drawing a goal on certainly one of nearly each 4 routes he ran (23.9%). Among 818 particular person tight finish seasons since 2006 the place a good finish ran a minimum of 200 routes, Fannin’s TPRR was within the 93rd percentile. He trailed solely Trey McBride in first-read goal charge as properly, so performs have been being drawn up with him in thoughts as the primary goal within the offense.
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To carry out that properly with the quarterback he acquired is truthfully unimaginable. Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel have been the second- and third-worst quarterbacks within the NFL final season in adjusted EPA per play out of 45 qualifying quarterbacks with a minimum of 150 snaps.
Cleveland QB Plot
What can Fannin do in 2026?
To stick with the quarterbacks, anticipating quarterback enchancment in 2026, even when it comes in-house within the type of *gulp* Deshaun Watson, is a troublesome promote. The bar is INCREDIBLY low right here for no matter mixture of Watson, Sanders, Gabriel, rookie Taylen Green or whoever else begins soccer video games for Cleveland. Not being a bottom-three worst quarterback within the league represents a minimum of SOME sort of improve.
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The proven fact that Fannin was in a position to have the season he had with that putrid stage of quarterback represents a borderline miracle, however what concerning the environment Fannin finds himself in in 2026?
Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman entered the summer season as the highest extensive receivers for Cleveland (a minimum of in idea), however for a way lengthy? The Browns drafted Texas A&M receiver KC Concepcion within the first spherical and Washington’s Denzel Boston within the second spherical. Clearly, they aren’t pleased with the manufacturing they acquired from their veteran wideouts. Jeudy solely caught 53-of 103 targets final season with only a 17.4% TPRR and a yards per route run (YPRR) barely above 1.00, which is properly beneath common for a large receiver.
Also extremely vital: David Njoku is gone, as he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. Fannin can have the tight finish room to himself, which ought to be a boon for his counting stats and if he can preserve his effectivity as a rookie intact, we might be taking a look at a good finish that we must draft within the first few rounds of fantasy soccer drafts in 2027.
Looking on the present make-up of the roster, Concepcion siphoning targets is the primary fear for a participant like Fannin. Concepcion was primarily a slot participant in his first two seasons at NC State – with 93% and 82% of his snaps in that alignment. He discovered himself extra on the skin in 2025 at Texas A&M, lining up extensive on 65% of snaps. Concepcion might discover himself within the slot once more to start out his professional profession. He has been a superb goal earner with 95, 88, and 101 targets earned in three seasons, good for a 26.6% TPRR in his school profession.
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Fellow rookie Denzel Boston is extra of your typical “X” receiver, with a 6-foot-4, 209-pound body. Boston’s two seasons as a Washington starter produced 60-807-9 and 56-755-10, displaying red-zone and downfield prowess. He feels extra like a participant who might get labored in additional slowly behind Tillman than as a Day 1 starter for the Browns, however we nonetheless have coaching camp and preseason to type that out, so issues might change!
Thus, that is what we’re taking a look at for Fannin in 2026:
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The tight finish room is now extra consolidated, so he can run 85%+ routes every week;
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Target competitors with Jeudy stays, however different rookie receivers are pushing issues from a target-earning perspective, relying on once they earn time on the sphere;
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The quarterback points from 2025 persist in 2026, however are not any worse than final season (and so they might truly be a bit higher if Watson performs at even a mildly competent stage).
All of these components actually give Fannin the runway to construct on his rookie season and the possibility to ship a real breakout season. Fantasy managers have a proper to be slightly fearful concerning the Browns’ skill to attain, as they’re anticipated to be definitely within the backside half of the NFL in factors and touchdowns. With that mentioned, even the worst NFL groups nonetheless have to attain touchdowns, and there might be a strong alternative for Fannin to a minimum of match his six receiving scores from final season and in addition to supply significant enhancements in targets, receptions and yards after the catch, the place Fannin was seventh within the NFL amongst tight ends final season.
That confluence of things ought to (and sure will) propel Fannin to provide properly above his TE6 common draft place and make him a possible league winner in 2026. There are a ton of variables with the Browns, but when the rookie receivers aren’t prepared and Jeudy is his inefficient self as he is proven in latest seasons, why cannot this Browns offense run the whole lot by way of Fannin this season?
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We began by speaking about conviction, and there are many questions with every tight finish above Fannin in ADP. The distinction is that Fannin comes at a really cheap value in drafts. When mixed along with his lofty upside plus his trajectory for a second-year breakout, it’s a mixture that makes him any individual to focus on in fantasy drafts. For me, fantasy soccer conviction has Fannin’s image subsequent to it.
This article initially appeared on The Huddle: The Case For Harold Fannin Jr. In 2026