George Kittle vs Juwan Johnson: Who Should You Start?
George Kittle and Juwan Johnson are both viable fantasy tight ends heading into 2026, but their 2025 production tells two different stories. George Kittle averaged 12.1 PPG across 11 games with the San Francisco 49ers, while Juwan Johnson posted 8.3 PPG in 17 appearances for the New Orleans Saints.
A 3.8-PPG gap gives George Kittle the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
Juwan Johnson is the volume tight end in this matchup with 77 receptions for 889 yards, while George Kittle profiles as a more touchdown-dependent spike play (7 scores on 57 catches). In weeks where George Kittle finds the end zone he out-scores Juwan Johnson, but the floor gap is real.
George Kittle has his bye in Week 9, and Juwan Johnson rests in Week 12. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at tight end for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
