Who Should I Start? Theo Johnson or Ja'Tavion Sanders


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
4.1 0.0 0.0 1.6 17.2 0.1

Theo Johnson News

Theo Johnson a Buy-Low Target in Dynasty Formats

Tuesday, August 4, 7:09 PM

New York Giants 25-year-old tight end Theo Johnson put together a nice season in 2025, hauling in 45 of his 74 targets for 528 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He had a 16.7 percent target share, was eighth in red zone targets, 7th in average target distance, and seventh in snap share. The opportunities were there for him, but much was left on the table as he averaged only 8.5 fantasy points per game, which was 22nd amongst tight ends. To make matters worse for Johnson, the Giants brought in Isaiah Likely over from Baltimore, who has been a fantasy sleeper for many experts over the past few seasons but has never panned out. At this moment, Likely projects to be the team's No.1 tight end and potentially the No. 2 passing option in this offense that is dealing with Malik Nabers (knee) recovering from an injury, and a mediocre wide receiver room that includes Odell Beckham Jr., Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Malachi Fields. Johnson is off the radar in most redraft formats, but could be a decent buy-low option in dynasty if things with Likely don't work out, and it probably wouldn't take much to get him on your roster.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
3.8 0.0 0.0 1.8 14.2 0.1

Ja'Tavion Sanders News

Ja'Tavion Sanders Suffers Ankle Injury on Tuesday

Tuesday, August 4, 9:35 AM

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle) left Tuesday's training camp practice with an ankle injury, but head coach Dave Canales said he had a great day, according to Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. It doesn't sound like Sanders suffered a serious injury, but we'll keep an eye on his status moving forward. The 23-year-old former fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft from the University of Texas had a disappointing sophomore campaign in 2025, playing in only 13 regular-season games while catching 29 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown. Sanders had a 33-342-1 line in 16 games as a rookie, so he hasn't exactly moved the needle much in fantasy football early in his NFL career. Going into Year 3, Sanders is expected to be Carolina's primary pass-catching TE, but he also has to contend with both Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans. The Panthers' offense just hasn't relied enough on the TE position to make Sanders matter in most fantasy football leagues. Sanders is outside of RotoBaller's top-41 rankings at the position for 2026.


Theo Johnson vs. Ja'Tavion Sanders

Still trying to decide between Johnson and Sanders? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Theo Johnson is projected to score 4.1 points this week while Ja'Tavion Sanders is projected to score 3.8 points.