Elijah

Moore

Moore stepped into the unquestioned WR2 role for the Browns following the departure of Donovan Peoples-Jones at the trade deadline but was never able to fully realize any fantasy utility with the increase in opportunity. He remains a shaky hold for dynasty managers looking forward to the new league year.

Moore suffered the brain injury in Week 17. He was taken to the hospital before being released on Friday. With the Browns locked into the No. 5 seed, they have nothing the play for and have already announced that some starters will get the week off. Even if Moore clears concussion protocol, we fully expect him to spend Sunday recovering from the injury on the sidelines.

It’s good news, though coach Kevin Stefanski did not attempt to hide the fact that Moore is dealing with a highly serious head injury. It seems unlikely that he is ready to return before the playoffs. It’s an awful break for a player who has been beset by them since entering the league in 2021. Moore’s absence should lead to more snaps for rookie David Bell.

Moore sustained a brain injury in the second quarter after his fifth and final catch of the first half. A Jets defender slammed Moore’s head into the turf, and Moore was seen twitching on the ground for several moments. He’ll enter the NFL’s concussion protocol and will be iffy for Week 18. The Browns are already without Amari Cooper (heel).

Moore caught a ball over the middle of the field and was thrown down on his head at the end of the play. He was seen twitching on the ground before Browns trainers rushed onto the field to check on the wideout. Moore had five receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown before his exit.

One of Moore’s missed connections was a brutal drop inside the 10-yard line. You could say it was an unideal effort as Amari Cooper exploded for 11/265/2 and David Njoku contributed 6/44/1. With Joe Flacco thinking bigger than Moore-style checkdowns, the ex-Jet has no WR4 juice for Week 17 vs. his former team.

Moore was an afterthought in the Browns’ pass-heavy offense with Amari Cooper and David Njoku functioning as Joe Flacco’s primary targets. Moore isn’t usable in fantasy unless Cooper is sidelined. Moore can be safely dropped to waivers this week.

Moore racked up 12 targets in Week 13, but that came with Amari Cooper leaving early because of a concussion. Cooper was active for Week 14 and commanded 14 targets. With David Njoku seeing nine looks and scoring twice, there weren’t enough targets to go around for Moore to have a productive day. He will look to rebound in Week 15 against the Bears. In a good matchup for receivers, Moore will sit on the WR3/4 border.

Moore has some familiarity with new Browns’ quarterback from their time together with the Jets last season, but that didn’t seem to matter early with Brown having just one catch for nine yards before Amari Cooper left the game with a concussion in the second quarter. After that point, Moore became Flacco’s key target, seeing nine targets without Cooper on the field. Moore’s biggest catch was a 42-yarder in the second quarter where he was falling backwards but was able to get one butt cheek in bounds before his legs hit. He and Flacco weren’t able to consistently connect on their throws, but Flacco should get more comfortable with another week of practice under his belt, which could mean better days ahead for Moore, especially if Cooper were to miss any time. However, all of that could be for naught if the Browns decide to go back to Dorian Thompson-Robinson at quarterback.

Flacco was named the backup over P.J. Walker earlier this week. Knowing Dorian Thompson-Robinson was unlikely to play due to a concussion, head coach Kevin Stefanski was functionally naming Flacco the team’s Week 13 starter. As expected, DTR was ruled out on Friday, paving the way for Flacco to make his debut as a member of the Browns. At 38 years old, it’s fair to wonder how much Flacco has left in the tank. On the other hand, Cleveland’s tandem of Walker and Thompson-Robinson has created one of the worst offensive environments in the NFL. Even a modest improvement via Flacco will go a long way. The move will keep Amari Cooper in the WR3 conversation while giving Elijah Moore some FLEX potential versus the Rams.