Nick Underhill of Saints.football reports that Saints TE Juwan Johnson "suffered a lower leg injury and is expected to miss a good amount of time." We'll watch for more specifics on the injury, but that sounds pretty ominous. Underhill did add that he hasn't heard that Johnson will be sidelined into the regular season.
Update: ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Johnson will undergo foot surgery. He's expected to be sidelined “a while," Schefter adds, but "the hope and belief for now is that he will be back for the start of the season."
Even a fully healthy Johnson sits low in TE2 territory of our rankings, so a serious injury here wouldn't deliver huge fantasy impact. But it would take a key red-zone target away from QB Derek Carr.
It would also remove a player from New Orleans' most crowded position group. Johnson ranked just 23rd among NFL TEs in target share (adjusted for games missed) last season.
You should stay away from selecting him in best ball drafts at least until we gain clarity on Johnson's 2024 outlook.
TE Foster Moreau would likely be the biggest winner if Johnson's injury sidelines him into the season. Moreau drew just 25 targets in his first New Orleans season but signed a three-year deal last offseason that averages a little more than $4 million per year.
Moreau spent the previous four seasons with the Raiders, topping out at 33 receptions and 420 yards in 2022.
Moreau -- who turned 27 in May -- would be no more than a low-level fantasy option.
Taysom Hill technically plays TE for New Orleans as well, but his role is obviously quite different from the others at the position. He might see a few more targets if Johnson misses games, but we likely wouldn't dramatically alter his numbers for Johnson's absence.
We don't yet know what Johnson's new injury is. Last year he lost four games to a Week 4 calf strain.
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