Week 6 Fantasy Football Tight End Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Juwan Johnson vs. Darren Waller
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No position in fantasy football inspires more lineup frustration than tight end. One Sunday, your guy is a matchup nightmare, accumulating points with every offensive possession, and the next, he's basically invisible.
In this Week 6 edition of Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em, we’re pitting a pair of NFC South TEs against each other: New Orleans’ Juwan Johnson and Carolina’s Darren Waller.
Johnson has been an elite fantasy performer this season, while Waller has flashed big-play potential as part of one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses.
With usage, consistency, and defensive matchups all factoring into the equation, which tight end deserves a spot in your starting lineup this weekend?
TE Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Prior to Week 5, Johnson was a top-3 tight end in terms of fantasy production at 15.0 PPR points per contest and 60 points total (trailing only fantasy stalwarts Trey McBride and George Kittle).
His raw and advanced stats reflect the success, which are by and large better than Waller’s. Although keep in mind that Waller’s played in one fewer games:
Juwan Johnson | Darren Waller | |
|---|---|---|
Receptions | 25 | 13 |
Targets | 32 | 19 |
Receiving yards | 248 | 148 |
Yards per reception | 9.9 | 11.4 |
Yards after catch | 131 | 55 |
Touchdowns | 3 | 2 |
Explosive plays (20+ yards) | 5 | 0 |
Snap count/game | 245 | 132 |
Target rate | 16.4% | 12.9% |
Red zone targets | 7 | 4 |
Johnson and the Saints face a tough opponent in the Giants on Sunday, who boast the seventh-ranked pass defense and do a nice job limiting tight-end production. They’re 17th in fantasy points surrendered to the position.
That said, Johnson could be the right type of pass-catcher to disrupt the G-Men’s game plan. According to PFF, the 30-year-old boasts the fourth-highest target difference between man and zone in the NFL, and the Giants play man coverage fourth-highest clip.
*Cue the Zeke Elliot celebration* because Johnson is likely to be fed well this weekend.
TE Darren Waller, Carolina Panthers
Waller belongs to one of the most explosive offensive units in the NFL.
The Panthers, helmed by Bryce Young, lead the league in passing yards per game (301.3), rank third in pass attempts per game (40.5), and are one of four teams to put up more than 30 points on average.
Waller has assumed an important role in that attack, but his usage—snap count, target rate, and red zone targets—is significantly lower than Johnson’s, per the chart above.
From a bird’s eye view, no pun intended, the Eagles figure to be a solid matchup for Waller since they are 24th in total defense and 26th in pass defense.
Strangely, though, Philly is terrific at slowing down tight ends. They’re one of six teams that hasn’t allowed a score to the position in 2026, and they only give up 7.4 fantasy points to the position per game (seventh fewest in the NFL).
Jalen Hurts not suiting up adds an interesting wrinkle, one that could slow Philly’s offense and increase the number of drives the Panthers’ have. That would, in theory, provide Waller with more opportunities to make plays.
Final Verdict
Johnson has collected more than 10 fantasy points in four out of his five games this season, while Waller has done so in just two.
Waller is certainly a “one-hit wonder” candidate, having reeled in both of his 2026 touchdowns in the same game—a Week 2, 34-3 blowout against Atlanta. His performance earned him 18.3 points, with his next best output being 10.1 the following week.
Johnson, on the flip side, has scored in multiple weeks and posted four games of 50 yards receiving or more. The one blip on his production radar is Week 5, where he pulled in four receptions on five targets for 16 yards.
It’s important to note that came against the Minnesota Vikings, a defensive juggernaut, who allow 12.8 points per game and virtually shut down every team they play. So the subpar performance for Johnson could very well have been an anomaly.
Based on his season-long stats, Week 6 opponent, and overall usage, we’re starting Johnson and sitting Waller.
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Macklin is a Brooklyn-based writer who’s covered the NBA, NFL, WWE, Disney Channel Original movies and everything in between. All of his wildest dreams came true the day Jalen Brunson led the New York Knicks to an NBA Championship.
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