Jerry Jeudy ‘could be had’ at the trade deadline

Concepcion continues to operate as the primary slot receiver for a Browns team clearly looking to their youth while phasing out veteran Jerry Jeudy, the latter of whom managed three receptions on three targets for 36 yards. Concepcion has yet to lead the team in receiving while working in a short area role, with this the first game thus far which he has gained more then 43 yards. He’ll be a difficult start in fantasy circles when the Browns take on the Jets in Week 5.

After his two-catch performance in Week 1, Jeudy is off to a roaring start. Denzel Boston has established himself as Cleveland’s de facto No. 1 wideout while KC Concepcion is being force fed the ball on gadget plays near the line of scrimmage. With almost no avenue to fantasy relevance, Jeudy should remain on waiver wires.

Jeudy is on track to play, but he is seemingly being phased out of the offense. Browns rookie WRs Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion are establishing themselves as impactful starters, and their roles should only grow in the coming weeks. Jeudy should be left on waivers.

Jeudy felt like an afterthought behind the two rookie wideouts in the Browns’ passing game. He tied for second in targets and was a distant third in yards behind Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion. The veteran is still involved as a starter on the outside, but Todd Monken made it a point to make Boston the deep target and Concepcion the primary offensive weapon. In a fantasy-unfriendly offense, Jeudy is best left off the fantasy radar.

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.

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.

The Browns selected two receivers in the top-40 of last week’s draft, taking KC Concepcion 24th overall and Denzel Boston 39th overall. While they clearly addressed a massive weakness on the roster, Berry said he doesn’t expect the addition to have an impact on Jeudy, adding that he prefers to build a receiver room “with different skillsets” and that doesn’t require one player to be a “ball dominant player.” In a somewhat contradictory statement, Berry also said he expects Jeudy, to be the “bell cow” receiver for the team. It’s hard to know what to make of this, but both Concepcion and Boston figure to see the field early as rookies. Even if Jeudy’s snaps don’t see a noticeable decrease, we probably shouldn’t expect him to see anything close to the 142 targets he had in 2024 when he broke out for 92-1,229-4.

It’s a situation he says “remains bad” as Jerry Jeudy and Isaiah Bond appear to be the only two players guaranteed a role on next year’s team. The Browns struck out on their attempts to add to the room via trade early in free agency and prioritized their offensive line. Jeudy’s fantasy value is hanging on by a thread with Shedeur Sanders the likely starter in 2026. Any other impact rookie additions would likely push him into the WR5 ranks.

With limited cap space and the ability to have the trading team absorb some of a player’s cap hit, it makes plenty of sense for the Browns to dive back into this. It would be a blow to Jerry Jeudy’s already-faltering fantasy football value if the Browns brought in another wideout, though it’s possible they settle for someone even less-renowned than Jeudy.

Jeudy labored through inconsistent and downright awful quarterback play for the better part of the 2025 season. Coming off a 1,200-yard campaign in 2024, his yardage was cut in half this time around. He finished the season with 50 catches for 602 yards and two touchdowns. Jeudy was also credited with nine drops on the year, which nearly led the league. All in, Jeudy averaged a career-low 1.02 yards per route run. He finished outside the top 75 wideouts in that metric. Jeudy is miscast as a No. 1 receiver and the Browns’ quarterback woes compounded that issue into a catastrophic season. With the Browns looking at quarterback and head coaching changes in the offseason, Jeudy’s fantasy outlook could shift drastically by the time early drafts roll around. For now, he looks like a low-wattage WR5 heading into 2026.