Who Should I Start? Zach Ertz or Juwan Johnson

Wednesday, December 10, 9:49 AM

NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reported that tight end Zach Ertz (knee) has officially been placed on the Injured Reserve on Wednesday with a knee injury. Ertz will miss the remainder of the 2025 season after suffering an ACL tear during Washington's 31-0 loss to the Vikings in Week 14. The hit looked brutal, and emotions were high as the Commanders saw him get carted off the field. At 35 years old, we will see what the future holds for the 2018 Super Bowl Winner and three-time Pro Bowler, Ertz. On the season, he had 50 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns (72 targets) across 13 regular-season appearances. Second-year player out of Kansas State, Ben Sinnott, is likely to step into a larger role with Ertz being done for the season, and should be on the fantasy radar in deeper formats.

Monday, December 22, 11:00 PM

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson has been a steady producer for most of the 2025 season, recording 70 receptions for 733 yards and three touchdowns on 93 targets across 15 games. Johnson posted one of his better performances in Week 16 against the New York Jets, hauling in eight catches for 89 yards on nine targets. The Saints placed wideout Devaughn Vele (shoulder) on Injured Reserve leading into the game, which cements Johnson's status as the number two pass-catcher in New Orleans behind star wideout Chris Olave. While Johnson may not have major upside, he's recorded just one game with fewer than four receptions since Week 6. Behind rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, the Saints are playing some of their best football of the season in recent weeks and face another favorable matchup in Week 17 against the Tennessee Titans. Fantasy managers should feel comfortable viewing Johnson as a high-floor streamer option off the waiver wire at the tight end position.