July 1, 2025

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman has an opportunity to emerge in the new look Cleveland passing attack in 2025. There is plenty of uncertainty regarding the Browns offense, with the most glaring question of course being who will the quarterback be. Tillman showed flashes of becoming an impact player in fantasy during a stretch of games last season post Amari Cooper trade and Deshaun Watson injury. From Weeks 7-11, including a Week 10 bye, he averaged 10 targets with six receptions and 75 yards per game while scoring three total touchdowns. He was WR6 in PPR points in this time. Then, the 25-year-old suffered a concussion in Week 12 and ended up missing the rest of the season. This stretch coincided with Jameis Winston under center and with elevated passing volume. The Browns had an early down pass rate of 59.8 percent during this span, which ranked second in the NFL. Historically, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has typically leaned a bit more run heavy, with a negative three percent pass rate over expected since 2020 according to RBSDM.com. Another time Stefanski leaned into the pass more was when Joe Flacco took over late in 2023, when they led the league with an early down pass rate of 64.9% from Weeks 13 through 17. Flacco is the favorite to win the job by some, but it is still up in the air. It's also worth considering that the Browns drafted two running backs in the 2025 draft and could be gearing up to establish the run. Plus, talented pass catchers Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku remain strong competitors for targets. However, they are tied for the lowest projected win total by Vegas, so there should be plenty of favorable game scripts as they are expected to play from behind frequently. This combination of factors gives Tillman a fairly wide range of outcomes and makes him an intriguing upside bet to make later in your drafts.--Kyle McCarthy