Juwan Johnson will be a popular waiver wire add this week. (New Orleans Saints)
This week, the Buffalo Bills pulled off an improbable comeback in the final few minutes against the Baltimore Ravens to win the season’s first Sunday Night Football game; Micah Parsons wasted little time in recording his first sack as a member of the Pack; and Aaron Rodgers took obvious pleasure in beating his old team. Other Fantasy football stories we’re watching…
Juwan Johnson’s Stock Rising
When we last checked in on the New Orleans Saints, we concluded that they had plenty of work to do to improve this season, and while a big second quarter allowed them to hang around in Week One, they ultimately lost at home to Arizona.
Penalties doomed the Saints in rookie coach Kellen Moore’s debut, and while his squad gets to stay in the Big Easy this week, things don’t get any easier with San Francisco paying a visit.
TE Juwan Johnson could not hang on to what might have been a game-tying catch with seconds remaining, however it’s hard not to be very bullish about the game he had. Coming off a career year in 2024 (personal bests in games, receptions, targets and yards), he made an early statement that he’s going to surpass those totals this season.
Johnson hauled in eight of 11 targets for 76 yards on Sunday, leading the Saints in receptions and yardage while ranking No. 1 among all TEs in PPR scoring (heading into MNF). New Orleans’ offense looks like a work in progress, but he was a threat all game long, boding well for a major breakout season.
It’s clear that QB Spencer Rattler likes throwing to Johnson (see video below), so expect the WR to be a popular waiver wire grab this week. Johnson is still barely a top 25 TE for Week Two, but his stock is rising. Originally a wide receiver, he seems better suited to use his size at tight end as he’s not the speediest player.
Giants Have Plenty of Work to Do
In their season opener, the New York Giants really struggled to get the ball in the end zone despite having a couple of great TD opportunities against Washington (including a first and goal from the one, and another first and goal from the three… really?!?). In the end, the G-Men lost to their NFC East rivals 21-6, and things don’t look that much easier in Week Two, as New York visits Dallas (the Giants are currently 5.5 ‘dogs for this one as per FanDuel).
While New York’s offense looked overmatched (just 231 total yards, and a mere 74 on the ground), the D – expected to be a strong point (especially the line) – looked better, but ultimately gave up too many first downs to the Commanders.
The Giant defense looked like it had suffered a major blow when veteran linebacker Micah McFadden was carted off early in the game with a leg injury. Thankfully, reports suggest there is no structural damage, so he’s not expected to be out very long, but he’s not completely out of the woods yet. That’s a relief considering McFadden has gone over 100 tackles in each of the last two seasons, leading the team last year despite missing three games.
As a top 75 IDP he’s vital to this team’s run D, which already looked less than impressive in allowing Washington to pile up 220 yards on Sunday.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
Since their launch in 1998, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club has released eight albums, the fourth of which was Baby 81, in 2007, which featured “Killing the Light.”