Week 11 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Debate: Theo Johnson Vs. Dalton Schultz
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Tight ends around the NFL offered valuable fantasy football production in Week 10. Over recent weeks, Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz and New York Giants pass-catcher Theo Johnson have emerged as two of the hottest waiver pickups over the past few weeks for fantasy lineups in need of tight end help.
In Week 10, Schultz helped lead the Texans to a 36-29 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The veteran tight end hauled in seven of his 11 targets for 53 yards and a touchdown. He finished as the game’s second-leading receiver behind fellow Texans pass-catcher Nico Collins, posting a breakout fantasy performance to kick off the second half of the season.
While he couldn’t help lead his team to a win, Johnson offered the Giants’ offense with a valuable contribution during Sunday’s 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears. The emerging tight end caught all but one of his eight targets for 75 yards, and like Schultz, he finished second among his offense in receiving.
Both tight ends finished among the top of the position group in Week 10 fantasy rankings, but who should fantasy owners pick up off waivers entering Week 11?
Dalton Schultz On The Rise
Despite C.J. Stroud’s absence, Schultz managed his second-best PPR showing of the year, posting 18.3 fantasy points versus Jacksonville, which ranked fourth among all tight ends in Week 10. Schultz has eclipsed 11.0 PPR points in four of his last five games and enters Week 11 as the team’s second-leading receiver with 45 catches for 438 yards on the year.
Schultz is currently TE11 among PPR leagues, but has been one of the hottest tight ends in fantasy over the last four games, averaging 13.8 points during that stretch. He’s rivaled some of fantasy’s top players at the position and continues to see his role expand entering the back half of the season.
Theo Johnson Sustaining Notable Production
Like Schultz, Johnson endured a slow start to the season, but has come on strong over recent weeks. Dating back to Week 4, Johnson has averaged nearly 12.0 PPR points per week, including 15.6 points, 11.5 points, and 14.5-point performances in three of his last four games. Though Schultz has made a larger impact over the past few weeks, Johnson offers a larger scope of high-end production for the position.
The Giants’ offense has flipped the script this season, emerging as one of the NFC’s fastest-rising units. Johnson has played a direct role in the team’s success in the passing game throughout the season, as rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart finds his stride at the professional level.
Who To Pick: Johnson Or Schultz
Entering Week 11, it’s worth noting Johnson’s struggles prior to Dart being made the starter, as the rookie signal-caller could miss time with a concussion. Through the first three games of the season, all of which were led by veteran backup Russell Wilson, Johnson failed to eclipse 10.0 PPR points. On the other hand, Schultz and the Texans’ offense proved resilient without Stroud, as the veteran tight end managed yet another notable fantasy performance.
Given Johnson’s vulnerability to struggle without Dart at the helm - and the entire offense for that matter - Schultz offers a safer floor with similar high-end production. For those reasons, I’m going to pick Schultz over Johnson entering Week 11.
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Ethen Hutton is a MLB, WNBA, College, and Fantasy contributor at On SI. Previously, he's covered the NBA, WNBA and NFL for Sportskeeda. Hutton is also a passionate fantasy football player and an immense music lover.