Johnson is going way too late in fantasy football drafts this summer. The tight end currently owns an ADP of 134.6 for Best Ball drafts on DraftKings and he is steal at this point of drafts.
Last Season
Operating as the Saints’ top tight end, Johnson had a career-best season in 2025. The 29-year-old caught 77 passes for 889 yards – both of which are career highs – and four touchdowns. Johnson didn’t miss any games and he produced 10.8 FPTS per game. Johnson finished as the No.8 scoring tight end and he scored double-digit FPTS in 10-of-17 games.
While running a route on 79% of his team’s dropbacks, Johnson garnered a target on 19% of his routes, including 17 redzone targets and eight targets over 20 yards. Johnson averaged 1.69 YPPR and the tight end could be in store for an even better campaign in 2026.
2026 Fantasy Outlook
After taking over as the starter in Week 9 of last season, rookie quarterback Tyler Shough was strong in his nine starts to close out the year. The 26-year-old averaged 7.6 YPA and he threw 10 touchdowns to five picks while leading the Saints to a 5-4 record in those starts.
Entering his second season, the Saints have high hopes for Shough and if he continues to improve, New Orleans’ offense as a whole should be a strong unit, which bodes well for Johnson as the team’s top tight end. The Saints only won six games last season, but their current O/U for wins on DraftKings Sportsbook is set at 7.5.
Also, there is a chance Johnson’s target share reaches new heights, especially in the early stages of the season. Rookie receiver Jordyn Tyson, who the Saints selected No.8 overall in this past NFL Draft, is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, meaning he will miss at least the first four games of the season. Tyson was expected to see a big role for the Saints right out of the gate and Alvin Kamara is also out for at least Week 1 with a Grade 2 sprained MCL, opening up a few more targets.
Johnson should see a target share over 20% for at least the first month of the season and he should get off to a hot start. Even when Tyson returns, Johnson should still see strong volume as Shough’s safety blanket.
Johnson has a great chance to finish as a top-10 tight end for the second straight season and he is without question one of the best tight end values on the board for all formats.
