Who Should I Start? Juwan Johnson or Sam LaPorta

Tuesday, March 11, 4:31 PM

The New Orleans Saints re-signed tight end Juwan Johnson to a three-year deal worth over $30 million, sources tell FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz. Johnson was one of the top tight ends available on the open market this offseason and will return to the Saints after a career-best 50-548-3 line in 17 games (five starts) in his fifth year in the league in 2024. The 28-year-old can make as much as $34.5 million and will receive $21.25 million guaranteed. Even though Johnson had a career year with the Saints last year, he finished as the TE17 in half-point PPR scoring. The good news is that Johnson will return to the only team he's played for in his five NFL seasons and will continue working with veteran quarterback Derek Carr in new head coach Kellen Moore's system. The bad news is that Johnson will likely continue to be inconsistent from a fantasy perspective on a weekly basis as a TE2.

Thursday, June 5, 6:21 PM

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that tight end Sam LaPorta has been a standout during voluntary organized team activities this offseason. Campbell also praised plenty of other Lions players, but LaPorta is a notable one after he took a step back in Year 2 in 2024 with a 60-726-7 line in 16 regular-season starts. As a Pro Bowler in his rookie campaign, the 24-year-old went for 86 receptions on 120 targets for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (14 starts). The former second-rounder (34th overall) in 2023 out of Iowa finished the year better, but there are just a lot of mouths to feed in Detroit's offense. The Lions will be run by new offensive coordinator John Morton in 2025, but LaPorta should still be a go-to red zone target for quarterback Jared Goff as a high-end TE1.