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Should I Draft Juwan Johnson? Saints TE’s Fantasy Outlook in 2023

New Orleans Saints TE Juwan Johnson showed promise last season. Could he be the skeleton key for fantasy football managers who wait on the position?

New Orleans Saints TE Juwan Johnson showcased strong fantasy football upside in 2022, his first season being unleashed as a weapon in the passing game. With a change at quarterback and a returning star receiver, there are questions as to what Johnson’s involvement will be this season, but due to the tight end position in 2023, any taste of ceiling potential is worth a look.

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Juwan Johnson’s Fantasy Outlook for the 2023 NFL Season

The Saints are an offense that is set to surprise people with a combination of veterans and emerging players. Chris Olave proved every bit ready for the NFL with 1,042 yards during an impressive rookie season, and he gets a quarterback upgrade by way of Derek Carr this season.

Next to Olave is a promising field stretcher in Rashid Shaheed, a nice compliment, while Michael Thomas enters this season finally healthy. The variety of targets should allow an athlete like Johnson to thrive against undersized defenders.

Alvin Kamara is suspended for the first three games of this season, but we are looking long-term, and he is a proven asset that defenses have to respect in a big way. The question could be the sheer number of targets to go around, but the quality of those looks is not a concern heading into 2023.

Is Johnson a Good Fantasy Pick?

Last season, there were 29 tight ends who ran at least 20 routes per game. When Johnson hit that threshold, he gave you 9.7 ppg, an average that would have ranked as the TE7 if extended for the entire season.

Last season, there were 16 tight ends who saw at least five targets per game. When Johnson hit that threshold, he gave you 12.1 ppg, an average that would have ranked as the TE3 if extended for the entire season.

I think you can tell where I’m going with this. I’m entering drafts with the intent to grab TE value when it presents itself. If that is with T.J. Hockenson, so be it. Darren Waller, sign me up.

But if I don’t feel the asking price is right early on, Johnson is my answer late in drafts, and that has been a rather common outcome up to this point.

  • PFN Consensus Rank: 144th overall
  • Current ADP: 164th overall

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