Update, Sept. 15 — Johnson returned to a full practice on Friday, which has him trending toward being removed from the injury report before the Saints Monday night matchup with the Panthers.
The New Orleans Saints earned a one-point win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 and are now turning their attention to a divisional matchup against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. With Derek Carr under center, there was excitement for tight end Juwan Johnson, who many hoped would be the new Darren Waller for the quarterback. Johnson finished Week 1 with three catches for 36 yards on five targets and is dealing with a calf injury.
Saints injury report pic.twitter.com/KdvYy1Vg6k
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) September 14, 2023
Fantasy football implications for Week 2
The good news for Johnson is that this NFC South matchup in Week 2 is part of a Monday Night Football doubleheader. This gives the veteran tight end extra time to heal up and get back on the practice field with the final injury designation for the game not coming until Saturday.
Johnson is a tough tight end to judge. His five targets in Week 1 were the fourth-most on the team behind Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Michael Thomas. He has a good matchup against the Panthers, but I can’t say he is a top-12 play this week. If you have to start him, you can, but there are likely better options.