Juwan Johnson vs T.J. Hockenson: Who Should You Start?
Juwan Johnson and T.J. Hockenson are both viable fantasy tight ends heading into 2026, but their 2025 production tells two different stories. Juwan Johnson averaged 8.3 PPG across 17 games with the New Orleans Saints, while T.J. Hockenson posted 5.8 PPG in 15 appearances for the Minnesota Vikings.
A 2.5-PPG gap gives Juwan Johnson 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 T.J. Hockenson profiles as a more touchdown-dependent spike play (3 scores on 51 catches). In weeks where T.J. Hockenson finds the end zone he out-scores Juwan Johnson, but the floor gap is real.
Juwan Johnson has his bye in Week 12, and T.J. Hockenson rests in Week 6. 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.
