Cleveland Browns wide receiver Denzel Boston wasn't drafted in most fantasy football formats. He was probably still available on waiver wires entering Cleveland’s Week 2 game at Tampa Bay.
Not anymore. Entering a potential Week 3 shootout against the Carolina Panthers, Boston has ascended from high-upside rookie to potential must-start flex option for fantasy managers.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton labeled Boston among his top sleepers for this week’s slate, but that might not be doing Boston justice. Boston may have been the second wide receiver drafted by the Browns in 2026, but he’s clearly operating as their No. 1 wide receiver and has been since the summer.
“For those wary of picking up a Browns player, Cleveland's offense showed signs of life in a 23-19 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week,” Moton wrote. “In Week 3, the Browns will play their home opener against the Carolina Panthers, who gave up 59 points to the Chicago Bears just two weeks ago. The Browns offense doesn't compare to the Bears' unit, but Boston could be busy in a surprisingly high-scoring contest.
“Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is one of four signal-callers with a league-leading six touchdown passes. If he stays hot, the Browns may have to match his production with their passing game, which would bode well for Boston's fantasy ceiling in Week 3.”
Denzel Boston should no longer be viewed as a fantasy football sleeper
For those who were able to land Boston on waivers this week, or made the shrewd move to pick him up after his long touchdown reception against the Jaguars in Week 1 — start him as a flex this week.
He hasn’t just held his own against the Jaguars and Buccaneers in his first true NFL action. He’s been doing it against Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell in practice since July.
"He's been playing well since he stepped foot on the field,” Ward told reporters on Wednesday. “[He's] a guy that we're going to need, [we] look at him as a No. 1 receiver and he's been doing that, making plays, doing his job as a rookie, but not playing like a rookie."
Per Browns reporter Daniel Oyefusi, Boston leads Cleveland in routes run, targets, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown catches. Head coach Todd Monken attempted to downplay Boston’s move to Cleveland’s main X receiver role on the boundary during the preseason, but it’s become impossible to ignore that the rookie has supplanted Jerry Jeudy as the team’s featured option on the boundary. Jeudy currently has fewer targets on the season than running back Quinshon Judkins.
This probably isn’t a smash spot, as the Panthers have a high-end cover corner in Jaycee Horn and bounced back well from their season-opening clunker against the Bears. It’s still probably a stretch to call Boston a must-start in three-wide-receiver formats.
But he projects as a high-end flex option in Week 3 against Carolina, and if his current target volume continues, we could be entering must-start territory here in short order. Unless you have an elite flex option like Parker Washington or Chubba Hubbard that you can't justify benching, Boston should be in fantasy lineups for Week 3.
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