Theo Johnson had a very encouraging sophomore season. He was on the field a lot and flashed the potential to be a fantasy football TE1. Unfortunately, he now has to share a field with free agent signee Isaiah Likely. What can fantasy managers expect from Likely in his first season with the New York Giants, and is he worth selecting in fantasy drafts?
Should You Draft Theo Johnson in Fantasy Football?
After a lackluster rookie season, Johnson took a major step forward in his second year. Operating as the Giants’ clear TE1, Johnson caught 45 passes for 528 yards and five touchdowns. Those numbers don’t look exciting on paper, but that’s quite solid for a tight end.
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Johnson’s 86.2% snap share was seventh in the league. He was on the field a lot and ran a route on 82.8% of pass plays. That’s the good. The bad is the efficiency. Johnson only earned a target on 17.7% of his routes run, 32nd in the league.
His 1.26 yards per route run and 0.06 first downs per route run both ranked 34th. That’s partially a product of the offense, but it’s obviously not good, especially considering the lack of target competition following Malik Nabers’ season-ending ACL tear.
As much as Johnson improved last season, he wasn’t exactly a fantasy superstar. His 8.5 fantasy points per game meant he was good enough to be a weekly streamer in the right spot. However, he only posted seven games with double-digit fantasy points, most of which were barely over 10. Johnson is a good player for the Giants, but far from a fantasy factor.
Johnson’s Redraft Fantasy Football Value
The 2025 season was pretty much the perfect runout for Johnson. He had the TE1 role to himself and was essentially the No. 2 option in the passing game behind Wan’Dale Robinson. Yet, all he could muster up was production worthy of being a fantasy streamer.
This year, the Giants no longer have Robinson, but Nabers will play most of the season, even if it’s not in Week 1. The Giants also added Darnell Mooney, who will likely command targets at least ahead of Johnson. But the biggest impact will come from Likely’s presence.
The Giants hired John Harbaugh as head coach, and one of Harbaugh’s first moves was to bring Likely over from Baltimore. This wasn’t a depth move. Likely was signed to be the Giants’ primary tight end.
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Now, that doesn’t mean Johnson won’t play. He certainly will, and likely more than Likely managers care to admit. But if he couldn’t reach weekly fantasy starter status as the clear TE1, he’s not getting there as the TE2. Even if the Giants do run more two TE sets, which we should expect given their WR situation, one of them is going to be blocking more and it will probably be Johnson.
Johnson is the TE39 by ADP. He’s nowhere close to fantasy relevance. Perhaps he could emerge as a weekly streamer if Likely gets hurt, but he is not someone fantasy managers need to even look at in drafts.
Preseason Fantasy RB Rankings
- Bijan Robinson | ATL
- Jahmyr Gibbs | DET
- James Cook III | BUF
- Jonathan Taylor | IND
- Ashton Jeanty | LV
- Christian McCaffrey | SF
- Saquon Barkley | PHI
- Chase Brown | CIN
- De’Von Achane | MIA
- Derrick Henry | BAL
- Kenneth Walker III | KC
- Jeremiyah Love | ARI
- Omarion Hampton | LAC
- Javonte Williams | DAL
- Breece Hall | NYJ
- Kyren Williams | LAR
- D’Andre Swift | CHI
- Travis Etienne Jr. | NO
- Josh Jacobs | GB
- Cam Skattebo | NYG
- David Montgomery | HOU
- Bhayshul Tuten | JAX
- TreVeyon Henderson | NE
- Quinshon Judkins | CLE
- Jaylen Warren | PIT
- Bucky Irving | TB
- Jadarian Price | SEA
- Rhamondre Stevenson | NE
- Chuba Hubbard | CAR
- Kenny Gainwell | TB
- Tony Pollard | TEN
- Jordan Mason | MIN
- Rico Dowdle | PIT
- Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS
- Blake Corum | LAR
- RJ Harvey | DEN
- Kyle Monangai | CHI
- Rachaad White | WAS
- Chris Rodriguez Jr. | JAX
- Zach Charbonnet | SEA
- Aaron Jones Sr. | MIN
- Jonathon Brooks | CAR
- J.K. Dobbins | DEN
- Tyler Allgeier | ARI
- Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG
- Isiah Pacheco | DET
- Woody Marks | HOU
- Tyjae Spears | TEN
- Nick Singleton | TEN
- Brian Robinson Jr. | ATL
