Who Should I Start? Cole Kmet or Juwan Johnson

Wednesday, January 7, 9:39 PM

Across 16 games this season, Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet hauled in 30 of his 48 targets for 347 yards and two touchdowns. Kmet has taken a back seat to rookie Colston Loveland as the primary receiving tight end, posting his fewest catches and yards since his rookie season. Still, the 26-year-old remains a key piece of Chicago's dynamic offense this season, logging the third-highest snap share (70.4%) on the team. Kmet has recorded two receptions in five straight games to close the season, and he remains a low-ceiling option for Saturday's Wild-Card game against the Green Bay Packers. The impending return of receiver Rome Odunze (foot) won't be good news for Kmet's potential target share on Saturday night.

Saturday, January 3, 4:23 PM

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson has enjoyed a breakout campaign in his age-29 season, setting career highs in targets (98), receptions (74), and yards (828) entering Week 18's season finale against the Atlanta Falcons. Johnson has recorded at least four catches in seven straight games and in 12 of 16 contests on the year. His 35 receptions since Week 10 rank fifth most among tight ends. New Orleans is dealing with multiple injuries on offense, particularly at wide receiver, with Chris Olave (illness) and Devaughn Vele (shoulder) both out for this game. The Saints' available wide receivers on Sunday are Kevin Austin Jr., Dante Pettis, Ronnie Bell, and Samori Toure, which sets Johnson up to see a heavy dose of targets. With how well rookie QB Tyler Shough has been playing and plenty of targets up for grabs, Johnson ranks as RotoBaller's TE3 for Week 18.