Theo Johnson and Juwan Johnson Headline Week 15 Waiver Wire Tight End Pickups
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Week 14 saw plenty of good but looks of bad and ugly too. Then, there was the unlucky. For those that saw the Zach Ertz injury, that was pretty gruesome. A torn ACL that probably is worse for a 35-year-old potentially means the end of a career for a solid tight end.
Tight Ends provided more angst when a Isaiah Likely touchdown was reversed. In fantasy football, no one cares about the call, they care about the points. A second touchdown would have been a cherry on top and a big week. It was not meant to be. Sure, Likely has had big mistakes but has chemistry with Lamar Jackson.
Anyway, let's try to drum up some recruits to help get fantasy football teams in a better position.
Roster percentages come from Yahoo and ESPN leagues reflecting a PPR format. Check your league formats.
Harrold Fannin - Cleveland Browns
Again, Fannin is owned only in 54.7% of ESPN leagues despite a huge eight catch, 114 yard performance against Tennessee in Week 13. Cleveland goes up against the Chicago Bears and a defense that will give up some points and yards. Conditions expect to be cold and similar to what was seen in Cleveland on Sunday.
There was that Shedeur Sanders celebration stuff but what matters here is the tight end. Chicago's pass defense is 21st in yards and 30th in touchdowns given up. The Bears are a ball-hawking group (#1 in interceptions) which means there will be quite a few risk-reward scenarios for Cleveland and Fannin.
Could there be a good amount of points scored in The Windy City on Sunday afternoon? The answer is yes.
Theo Johnson - New York Giants
With Jaxson Dart healthy and the Giants off a bye week, New York may have a chance to get Theo Johnson (42.8% owned) the ball. Washington short-circuited against Minnesota last week and it was a lifetime ago when Johnson barely saw the field in Week 1 versus the Commanders.
Receiving yards this season:
— GiantsMuse (@Giants_muse) December 8, 2025
456 — Theo Johnson
403 — Dallas Goedert pic.twitter.com/ofBSgzl3nN
Does Johnson have things to work on? Absolutely! The game before bye saw him only catch three passes on eight targets. On the positive side, his drop rate has halved itself in year two and quarterback ranking improves with him on the field. Washington allows the second most fantasy points per game to tight ends.
Again, this is far from the same team the New York Giants saw in Week 1. The Giants and Johnson will not look frozen in motion this week.
Juwan Johnson - New Orleans Saints
Johnson simply is more involved with the New Orleans offense and seeing consistent targets each week. The tight end also caught four passes for 92 yards and a touchdown against Carolina five weeks ago. He has at least four catches in six of the past seven weeks.
NFL TE Market Share Leaders:
— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) December 8, 2025
1) Trey McBride - 27.4%
2) HAROLD FANNIN JR. - 24.6%
3) Brock Bowers - 22.5%
4) Kyle Pitts - 22.3%
5) Juwan Johnson - 21.8%
Not often you see a Round 3 rookie become the centerpiece of their offense.
Market Share = % of team receiving yards
That is correct. Johnson is fifth here despite seeing a myriad of changes in New Orleans in 2025. He has career highs in targets (80) and catches (58) already. There are still four games to go. Now, the Saints would love to spoil Carolina's playoff and division chances. Johnson was a matchup problem in their first meeting and could be again.
The Panthers may also look ahead as they have three touch matchups to end 2025. Again, Johnson and Johnson could be soothing no matter which one you choose this weekend.
