Peppers & Picks logoPeppers & Picks

Week 8 · TE · NO

Juwan Johnson Week 8 fantasy outlook: role, matchup and start/sit call

Our TE25 for Week 8 — 4.4 projected points, on bye, rostered in 60% of leagues.

By Sally & Tina · Updated October 28, 2026 at 8:41 AM ET

Juwan Johnson is on bye in Week 8 — replace him and revisit next week.

Projection
4.4 pts
TE rank
#25
Matchup
bye

Juwan Johnson's fantasy role in Week 8

Juwan Johnson goes into Week 8 of the 2026 season as a bench stash most leagues are holding for the NO. He is rostered in 60% of leagues and actually started in 17% of them, and we rank him TE25 on our own weekly board at 4.4 projected points.

Interest is cooling — roster rates slipped roughly 9% in the last week, so he is getting cheaper to acquire if you believe in the role.

No injury designation to work around right now, which keeps his projection honest.

Week 8 matchup breakdown

The NO are on bye in Week 8, so there is no matchup to grade. Anyone holding him needs a one-week fill-in from the waiver wire.

How to play it

Juwan Johnson is on bye in Week 8 — replace him and revisit next week.

Use the waiver wire for a one-week plug and keep him on your bench if you are otherwise healthy at TE.

Sally's take

Peppers & Picks ranks Juwan Johnson (NO TE), our TE25 this week for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season (his team is on bye), projecting 4.4 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Sally's honest about it: 2.6 points under the starter line isn't the ceiling she chases. He's being dropped at a 8.7% clip, and I don't think the market is wrong about it. 17% of managers already start him, and the depth-chart role behind that number looks stable. He grades 37% below the average weekly TE number, which is a floor problem more than a ceiling one. The Pepper Meter cools him to Mild, and that reading is doing its job.

Tina's take

Peppers & Picks ranks Juwan Johnson (NO TE), our TE25 this week for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season (his team is on bye), projecting 4.4 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Tina calls it a floor problem: 2.6 points under the starter line is a lot of risk for a lineup spot. He's without an opponent this week, which caps this at a roster-hold conversation. He's being dropped at a 8.7% clip, and I don't think the market is wrong about it. 17% of managers already start him, and the depth-chart role behind that number looks stable. Tina keeps him at Mild until the usage says otherwise.