Who Should I Start? Tez Johnson or Isaac TeSlaa

Wednesday, October 8, 12:47 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Tez Johnson had his best game of his young career in Week 5 at Seattle, catching all four of his targets for 59 yards. Johnson nearly doubled his previous high in route participation, running a route on 53% of dropbacks in Week 5 after being at 27% the previous week in the first game Mike Evans missed. The rookie out of Oregon is very small at 5'10" and 154 pounds, but he is super shifty and quick in and out of his breaks. He looked the part out there in his first game with a significant snap share. He's a fairly specific type of player and won't ever run a full number of routes, but he is an intriguing waiver wire option in deeper leagues to consider in the short term while Evans is out.

Monday, October 6, 10:07 PM

Detroit Lions rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa had one target in Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals, but he made it count by turning it into a 12-yard touchdown reception. TeSlaa has made the most of his low-usage role so far this season, as he has three catches for 54 yards and two touchdowns on five targets through the first five games of his career. Perhaps most importantly for his fantasy outlook, Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond (neck) left early in Week 5 with a neck injury and did not return. TeSlaa has been firmly behind Raymond in snap share so far this season, so an injury to Raymond could open the door for TeSlaa to take over as Detroit's WR3 alongside Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. It's too soon to count on TeSlaa for fantasy production, even if Raymond does miss time. Still, TeSlaa is a player to monitor in deep leagues, as he's flashed upside and could now be in line for an increased role.