The New Orleans Saints will face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding TE Juwan Johnson.
Is Juwan Johnson Playing in Week 17?
Updated at 11:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 29
Johnson is active for today's game
Johnson has been listed on the practice report with a foot injury for several weeks. He was limited on Wednesday and Thursday, which has been the routine. Johnson will play this week.
We’ll continue to monitor the Saints’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Juwan Johnson in Week 17?
Johnson caught both of his targets on Monday night (27 yards), but a 7.1% target share in a Spencer Rattler offense is far from ideal. To complicate matters further, Foster Moreau led the team in receiving with a whopping 33 yards.
Jordan Mims and Dante Pettis accounted for most of New Orleans’ targets, so there’s a world in which the target hierarchy flips this week, but are we sure it matters? Those two saw their 15 targets total 47 yards — that’s not going to get it done.
Before the Week 16 disaster, Johnson had three straight championship window games (Weeks 16-17) with over 11 PPR points. That streak ended on Monday, and it’s possible that he didn’t score 11 PPR points in those two weeks this season.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 17 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Juwan Johnson’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 17
As of Sunday morning, Johnson is projected to score 8.9 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 3 receptions for 34.1 yards and 0.4 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Raiders' Defense
The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the most talent-poor defenses in the NFL, particularly after the injuries they've suffered. With Maxx Crosby out for the season and Christian Wilkins playing only five games all year, there's not much star power for Antonio Pierce to lean on.
Still, the Raiders are taking advantage of a soft schedule to finish strong for the second straight year. Las Vegas posted a 76.8 (C) grade in Week 16 vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, their second top-10 finish in the last month. They've also ranked in the top half of all defenses in four of the last five weeks.
This is a little reminiscent of last year's strong finish that earned Pierce the full-time job, albeit without as many wins. The Raiders ranked fifth in Defense+ last year after Pierce became the interim coach, and since returning from their Week 12 bye, rank seventh in Defense+.
That alone shouldn't guarantee Pierce a second full season, particularly if more wins don't follow. But it's interesting that Las Vegas' defense has shown notable improvement down the stretch for the second straight year, even without particularly inspiring personnel.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Juwan Johnson’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 7:25 AM ET on Sunday, December 29. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 TE PPR Rankings
1) Brock Bowers | LV (at NO)
2) Trey McBride | ARI (at LAR)
3) George Kittle | SF (vs. DET)
4) Jonnu Smith | MIA (at CLE)
5) Sam LaPorta | DET (at SF)
6) Mark Andrews | BAL (at HOU)
7) Travis Kelce | KC (at PIT)
8) T.J. Hockenson | MIN (vs. GB)
9) Dalton Schultz | HOU (vs. BAL)
10) Pat Freiermuth | PIT (vs. KC)
11) Chigoziem Okonkwo | TEN (at JAX)
12) Tucker Kraft | GB (at MIN)
13) Dalton Kincaid | BUF (vs. NYJ)
14) Brenton Strange | JAX (vs. TEN)
15) Jake Ferguson | DAL (at PHI)
16) Hunter Henry | NE (vs. LAC)
17) Juwan Johnson | NO (vs. LV)
18) Stone Smartt | LAC (at NE)
19) Zach Ertz | WAS (vs. ATL)
20) Kyle Pitts | ATL (at WAS)
21) Mike Gesicki | CIN (vs. DEN)
22) Will Dissly | LAC (at NE)
23) Noah Gray | KC (at PIT)
24) Isaiah Likely | BAL (at HOU)
25) Grant Calcaterra | PHI (vs. DAL)
26) Cole Kmet | CHI (vs. SEA)
27) Austin Hooper | NE (vs. LAC)
28) Noah Fant | SEA (at CHI)
29) Ja'Tavion Sanders | CAR (at TB)
30) Foster Moreau | NO (vs. LV)
31) Tyler Higbee | LAR (vs. ARI)
32) Michael Mayer | LV (at NO)
33) Tommy Tremble | CAR (at TB)
34) Daniel Bellinger | NYG (vs. IND)
35) Dawson Knox | BUF (vs. NYJ)
36) Payne Durham | TB (vs. CAR)
37) Tyler Conklin | NYJ (at BUF)
38) Jordan Akins | CLE (vs. MIA)
Raiders at Saints Trends and Insights
Las Vegas Raiders
Team: The Raiders are seeking their first winning streak since Weeks 15-16 last season.
QB: Aidan O’Connell averaged a season-best 10.7 yards per first down pass last week against the Jaguars (13-of-18 for 193 yards).
Offense: After picking up eight-of-14 third downs against the Dolphins in Week 11, the Raiders are just 19-of-67 since (28.4%).
Defense: Las Vegas forced Jacksonville to punt on 58.3% of their drives, their best defensive showing of the season.
Fantasy: Brock Bowers, on Sunday, joined Evan Engram (2023) and Zach Ertz (2018) as the only tight ends in the 2000s to have four double-digit catch games in a season.
Betting: Seven of Vegas’ past eight road games have finished at least seven points off of the closing spread.
New Orleans Saints
Team: In Week 11, the Saints scored 21 points in the final quarter prior to their Week 12 bye. In the 16 quarters since that point, they’ve totaled 47 points.
QB: Spencer Rattler is dealing with a skeleton roster and spreading the ball out. Of his first nine targets, four different players saw multiple opportunities.
Offense: The Saints have been out-scored 35-0 in first halves over their past two games (they held the lead at halftime in each of their five games prior).
Defense: The Saints are 4-1 this season when holding a team to a sub-36% conversion rate on third downs (1-9 otherwise).
Fantasy: The Saints had four players get 3-8 carries, and five players catch 2-5 passes – this is a small offensive pie that is being cut into far too many pieces.
Betting: The Saints are 4-4 ATS at home this season – they haven’t had a winning ATS year at home since 2017.