Denzel Boston scores garbage time TD in Week 1

It’s the rookie’s second touchdown grab in as many weeks. After catching an intermediate pass from Deshaun Watson, Boston spun out of a tackle and raced to the end zone for a 55-yard score — by far the biggest play of the game. Boston is cementing himself as the clear WR1 in the Cleveland offense, well ahead of KC Concepcion — who had another inefficient day on Sunday — and Jerry Jeudy, who did not catch his lone target against Tampa. Boston will have plenty of deep league fantasy appeal in Week 3 against the Panthers.

Monken has stressed explosive plays as an important part of the Cleveland offense headed into the 2026 regular season. “Obviously having explosive players helps that,” Monken said. “Being able to scheme it up against certain looks and then being able to execute because your protection has to hold up when you get those opportunities. I’m confident in Deshaun and our ability to push the ball down the field, otherwise we wouldn’t be starting him.” That confidence might be misplaced considering Watson completed just 1-of-6 attempts for 20 yards and an interception on downfield passes in the preseason and was among the league’s worst deep ball passers in 2024, when he threw downfield on a career-low 27 percent of his attempts. Once an elite deep ball thrower, Watson will look to regain form coming off two torn Achilles, entering his age-30 season. Perhaps rookie WR Denzel Boston will be a boon for Watson’s downfield game in 2026.

Boston, who ESPN’s Benjamin Solak compared to Sam LaPorta after viewing Browns training camp, looks to have a locked in role with the Browns early. We wouldn’t necessarily say that Boston is a lock to be fantasy-useful, but Todd Monken has been well-regarded as an offensive mind and Jerry Jeudy didn’t exactly light it up last year. It’s certainly in the range of outcomes that Boston puts up a WR3/WR4 type of year as a rookie.

It’s been an impressive few weeks of camp for Boston, who has flashed on several occasions since things got underway. The rookie second-rounder has made enough of an impression to begin working with the first-team offense ahead of the team’s first preseason game, which suggests he is well on his way to solidifying an early role in the offense. While the Browns’ quarterback situation leaves much to be desired, Boston could end up having a solid fantasy floor in his rookie season under Monken. Both he and fellow rookie KC Concepcion are intriguing later-round picks in redraft leagues this season.

Per Jackson, organized team activities and mandatory minicamp “offered clues” about Monken’s use of motion and how he plans to “hunt mismatches in the quick passing game and use misdirection to create space and passing lanes for the quarterback.” That said, Jackson also believes that either TE Harold Fannin or fellow rookie WR Denzel Boston will be the “leading receiver.” It remains to be seen whether Monken will actually dial up a high target volume for an X-receiver like Boston. He featured WR Zay Flowers, who Concepcion has been likened to, as the top target-earning wide receiver with the Ravens. If Concepcion only gets a few designed looks per game, it will be tough for him to produce reliably in fantasy. If he can be more than that, even while earning targets behind Fannin while Boston stretches the field, Concepcion can return FLEX value in his first season.

Cleveland’s Mary Kay Cabot reports that Jeudy “felt something in his hamstring today,” so he sat out. Coach Todd Monken made clear that he does not give veterans rest days right now, so if a player sits, it’s because they are being cautious with an injury. Today was the Browns’ final mandatory minicamp practice. They will now go on break until training camp begins in July. Early in May, Cabot reported that the team is hoping Jeudy reclaims his WR1 role this season. Browns rookie WRs KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston have been taking full rotations with both the No. 1 and No. 2 offensive groups. Yesterday, ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reported Boston “has been one of the Browns’ standouts this summer.” Get well soon, Jeudy. The youngsters look promising.

Boston (6'4/210) was viewed as a classic, downfield X-receiver pre-draft, possessing the “ability to make tough catches downfield.” Boston successfully high-pointed a pass from QB Deshaun Watson today, producing what Oyefusi referred to as the top highlight at Wednesday’s practice. Boston has also “been a reliable pass catcher on short and intermediate routes” thus far. If he can keep it up, he has a chance to earn a starting role early in his career.

In other words, they’re “going to play a lot” per Jackson. It’s generally a good sign when rookies are already working with the 1s ahead of camp, even if they haven’t literally won the No. 1 role yet. Both players carry some breakout potential, though it’s hard to recommend either as more than a bench redraft league prayer in shallow leagues to open the season given Cleveland’s quarterback situation.

Cabot later writes that “the Browns really need Jeudy to return to his Pro Bowl form, and are confident he will.” We think her initial, hopeful framing is closer to the truth. Last week, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said rookie WRs KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston’s presence has “zero impact” on Jeudy. There’s an awful lot of reassurance going on here. Jeudy posted a 92/1,229/4 receiving line in 2024 before cratering to a 50/602/2 receiving line in 2025. Jeudy is under contract through 2027, but the dead money and salary cap savings are nearly even if designated as a post-June 1 cut next year. Given the Browns’ pass-catching investments over the last two drafts, and Jeudy’s poor 2025 showing, he looks like a dicey pick in fantasy for 2026.

Boston (6’4/212) spent the first two years of his collegiate career as a backup, waiting in the wings behind Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Ja’Lynn Polk. Studying behind a trio of NFL receivers proved fruitful for Boston as he racked up 834 yards and nine scores in 2024. Boston was productive as a junior, but his route-running left a lot to be desired. With another offseason under his belt, Boston looked more sudden in his final campaign, making it far easier for him to leverage his massive frame over opposing corners. In 2024, nearly a quarter of his targets were contested. That rate fell to 14 percent in 2025, but he also drastically improved his contested catch rate, bringing in a stunning 76.9 percent of his contested looks as a senior. Boston’s physical, downfield brand of football is going out of style in the modern game, and he didn’t do himself any favors at the NFL Combine. After skipping the 40-yard dash, Boston recorded an underwhelming 35” vertical jump. Without elite straight-line speed or explosion metrics, Boston will look more like a possession WR2 than a true No. 1 in the pros. He joins first-round pick KC Concepcion in what has quickly become a crowded Cleveland receiver room. Given the dreadful state of quarterback play on this roster, our hopes aren’t high for either rookie wideout this year.