The Elijah Moore fantasy hype train has failed to leave the station for two consecutive seasons. Will going from the New York Jets to the Cleveland Browns finally help Moore reach his fantasy football potential?
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Elijah Moore’s 2023 Fantasy Outlook
Moore got dealt a pretty rough hand to start his NFL career. He appeared to be trending in the right direction during the second half of his rookie season. During a six-game stretch in 2021 (Weeks 8-13), Moore registered 34 receptions for 459 yards and five touchdowns on 51 targets. When you dice that up on a per-game basis, he averaged 5.6 receptions for 76.5 yards while seeing 8.5 targets on a weekly basis.
Unfortunately, just when he was starting to hit his stride, Moore’s rookie campaign came to an abrupt end when he suffered a quad strain in Week 13 that cost him the rest of the season. From there, not much else went favorably for him as a member of the Jets.
The following offseason, New York selected WR Garrett Wilson in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Additionally, the Jets’ woeful passing offense simply wasn’t capable of sustaining two fantasy-relevant options in 2022.
Thankfully, the Jets traded Moore to the Browns this past offseason, which has given him a major upgrade at the QB position — from playing with Zach Wilson… to Deshaun Watson.
And the early chemistry between the two looks promising…
#Browns WR Elijah Moore was covered well by Denzel Ward—but Deshaun Watson showed off their connection with a perfectly placed ball.
Great play. The offense thought so too. pic.twitter.com/Fti1HVh7OH
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 6, 2023
Moore joins a Browns WR room that really has just one established pass catcher, Amari Cooper, with a No. 2 role completely up for grabs.
Should You Draft Elijah Moore at His Current ADP?
Moore is currently coming off of the board in the 10th round with an ADP of 111 overall as the WR45, which makes him a draft-day bargain with plenty of upside. Drafters should monitor the injury he sustained in the preseason opener, but all reports suggest he should be ready for the season opener. Furthermore, the upgrade at QB should not be overlooked. Going from Wilson to Watson as your QB means we could easily see the best Moore has to offer in 2023.
Watson had to knock off some of the rust after his 700-day hiatus from playing in an NFL game, but Cleveland’s offense certainly has the capability of taking a big step forward in 2023.
MORE: 2023 Fantasy Player Projections
As of now, Moore’s biggest threats to targets outside of Cooper are Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cedric Tillman, and David Njoku. You can make a case that Moore’s game is far more versatile than any pass catcher not named Amari Cooper.
Moore can win whether he’s lined up outside or in the slot. He has the top speed to threaten defenders vertically, and he has the suddenness to beat press coverage and create separation at the top of his routes.
Moore is a great buy at his current ADP.