Should I Start Juwan Johnson?

Saturday, September 12, 12:50 PM

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson had the best season of his career in 2025, recording 77 catches for 889 yards and three touchdowns on 102 targets across 17 games. With Saints rookie wideout Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) on Injured Reserve to begin the year, Johnson appears set to open 2026 as the number two option in the New Orleans passing game behind only star wide receiver Chris Olave. In Week 1, Johnson and the Saints will travel to Detroit to take on the Lions. The Lions fielded a slightly below-average pass defense against tight ends in 2025, allowing the 13th-most fantasy points to the position. However, Detroit will be without starting safeties Brian Branch (Achilles) and Kerby Joseph (knee) to begin the year, and the team lost top coverage linebacker Alex Anzalone to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency. With a favorable matchup against the Lions, Johnson profiles as a low-end TE1 option for fantasy managers in Week 1.