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Juwan Johnson 2026 Fantasy Football Outlook: Volatile Late Value Hinges on Red Zone Usage
New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson enters his age-30 campaign having just blown past his career-best marks with 102 targets, 77 catches, and 889 yards. This only led to three touchdowns, but one can't help but feel bullish with such enticing volume. He came out of the gate hot, finishing Weeks 1 and 2 as the TE4 and TE3, respectively. In fact, he'd be the TE13 or greater in seven of his first 10 games, and 10 of the 17 tilts overall. The Saints waited until the middle of Week 8 to flip Tyler Shough in at quarterback, all while the running back group dealt with injuries and ineffectiveness, so the second half is a better indicator for 2026 expectations. And between Weeks 9-17, Johnson's 9.6 half-PPR fantasy points per game was the seventh-best tally (min. 5 games) even without a single end-zone target in that span. His two TDs in that window were caught 5-10 yards out, and he looked like a secondary read on both plays. In fact, Johnson only had one end-zone target all year, and no Saint had more than three outside of Chris Olave (14!). If they funnel action to Olave, or newcomers Jordyn Tyson and Oscar Delp, and don't let Johnson eat in the red zone, then fantasy managers will be disappointed given the half-PPR ADP at the 139th pick (TE17). Our rank around pick 150 bakes in a bit more volatility.
