With all this year's organized team activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamps behind us, the NFL is about halfway through its annual break before training camps start rolling out later this month.
So far, there hasn't been much in terms of NFL news during this lull in the action. But for fantasy managers who take their preparation seriously, there is no downtime.
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That's why the Fantasy Notebook is using this time to roll out a position-by-position series on underrated players. Two weeks ago, it was Underrated Running Backs. Last week, we covered Underrated Wide Receivers.
This week, we're rolling through Underrated Tight Ends. We started on Monday with Fringe TE1s with Upside. Today, we'll look at a pair of players with . . .
Forgotten TE1 Upside
Every year, we see players who performed at higher levels the year before fall down the ADP ranks. Sometimes, coaching changes, new schemes, or personnel adjustments explain the concerns. But there are times when the market is simply overlooking what it's already seen.
Steady, Well-Connected Producer Still Searching for Respect
Juwan Johnson may not be part of the elite fraternity of superstar tight ends dominating the NFL right now, but, as Bleacher Report's Alex Kay suggested last week, Johnson deserves far more respect than he's been getting.
The New Orleans Saints tight end has worked his way up the ranks after entering the league as an undrafted free agent. He rarely saw the field on offense during his first two years in the league and was mostly relegated to special teams work, but his determination paid off when he became the club's starting tight end in 2022.
Johnson has been a steady presence in New Orleans' offense over the past four seasons and even took another leap during his age-29 campaign last year.
The Oregon product delivered a 42-catch, 508-yard, seven-touchdown season in 2022, but few noticed it. His impressive progression continued in 2025, however, as the converted wide receiver posted career-high marks in targets, catches (77), yardage (889), and fantasy points.
All four were eighth or better among tight ends.
More importantly, Johnson produced nine top-12 fantasy weeks (including four top-five performances and a TE1 overall Week 1), which tied for second at the position, en route to a TE8 overall finish.
Of course, Johnson has another thing going for him . . .
A Quarterback on the Rise
With Tyler Shough cementing his status as New Orleans' QB1 with a better-than-expected rookie year, Johnson stands to benefit based on his status as the signal-caller's preferred safety valve and longtime friend.
As Kay noted, Shough looked for his top tight end -- one he roomed with during their time together at Oregon -- more than any other player outside of star wideout Chris Olave, with Johnson's 102 targets ranking well ahead of the rest of the field.
While the Saints did reinforce Shough's weaponry this offseason, most notably adding first-round pick Jordyn Tyson to the mix, Johnson should remain a focal point in head coach Kellen Moore's system.
Kay summed up: "Johnson's longstanding rapport with Shough gives him an advantage that could help him surpass the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time in his career."
Investors Are Missing It
The 29-year-old will need to fend off newcomer Noah Fant for work in 2026, but he very well could settle in as high as second in target priority in this offense.
Johnson currently has a TE17 Average Draft Position (ADP) with an 11th-round price, indicating fantasy managers aren't buying into the upside.
I am.
Johnson is TE14 in my rankings. The arrival of Tyson could change his role, but not materially. Drafting Johnson as your TE2 could create some difficult lineup decisions this season.
Maye Ready to Go on the Hunt(er)
After completing one of the most impressive second seasons by a quarterback in recent memory, expectations are extremely high for Drake Maye going into 2026.
Not only was he among the most accurate quarterbacks in the league last year, but he also fell just short of winning the MVP Award to Rams QB Matthew Stafford, which says a lot about the kind of season he had.
Going into Year 3, he will finally have the same head coach and offensive staff, which has many believing we have yet to see his best football. Knowing how well Josh McDaniels works with quarterbacks, it's fair to assume that Maye will continue his rise to superstardom this fall.
Even with the addition of new starters at wideout in A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, this is good news for tight end Hunter Henry, who quietly turned in one of the most productive seasons of his career in 2025, finishing as TE9 on the season after earning Maye's trust in the QB's first two seasons.
Henry's success included five TE1 finishes, two of them TE1 overall weeks.
Despite that production, his early 2026 ADP -- he's being drafted as TE18 in Round 12 -- suggests fantasy managers may be overlooking one of the safer veteran values at the position.
This Isn't New
As SI.com's Shawn Childs reminded readers, Henry was the focal point of New England's passing game in 2024, pacing the team in receiving yards (674) and targets (97) while tying for the lead in catches (66).
Henry had a career year in 2025, playing all 17 games and recording 60 receptions on 87 targets for a career-high 768 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns.
He finished as a top-10 fantasy tight end both seasons.
Yet Here We Are
How do we explain Henry going deep in TE2 territory?
Childs argues that Henry's decline in value shows strength in the tight end pool, which will have a lot of movement over the summer once the fantasy market catches up on its player research. Henry has a 60/650/6 outlook, with a chance to average five targets per game. Last year, he tallied a career-high 11 catches of 20 yards or more.
Despite the desirable usage, Henry has failed to finish in the top 12 in fantasy points per game since 2020 (he has never finished better than eighth).
But none of that accounts for Henry's role in this offense and the upside that comes with it. We've already watched Henry produce TE1 seasons in this offense. He's TE16 in my rankings.
Drafting him as TE18 means you're paying for his floor instead of the production he's already shown he can deliver.
Harris was the FSWA's first-ever Football Writer of the Year back in 2004; he was inducted into that organization's Hall of Fame in 2013. During the season, catch Harris every weekday morning on the Footballguys Daily Update Podcast, your 10-minute daily dose of NFL news and fantasy analysis. You can also listen to Harris daily on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio's The Football Diehards show and Sundays on the SXM Fantasy Football Pregame show on Sirius channel 87, and Saturday nights on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Sirius channel 88.
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