There will be a very interesting camp battle between Daniel Bellinger and Johnson to be the Giants' TE1 after Darren Waller chose to retire. Bellinger should have the early edge because of his experience in the system, but Johnson's upside is intoxicating. His 9.93 Relative Athletic Score ranks him as one of the most athletic tight ends ever to test at the combine. While Bellinger may be more prepared to help the team compete, but he played more than 80% of the team's offensive snaps in six games in a row in 2023 and totaled 138 yards in those two games. The winner of the TE1 job should only be on the radar in deeper leagues in redraft, but Johnson is still worth a Round 3 pick in rookie-only drafts. I'd like him even more in leagues where I have a taxi squad to stash him for a year.
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Fantasy News
Giants' Theo Johnson: Expected to practice soon
Rotowire
Giants general manager Joe Schoen said Wednesday that Johnson (hip) should return to practice soon, Patricia Traina of SI.com reports.
The rookie fourth-round pick is on the PUP list for the start of training camp, slightly delaying what looks to be a fantastic opportunity. The Giants have one of the weakest tight end groups in the league after Darren Waller's retirement this summer, potentially giving Johnson a chance to compete with third-year pro Daniel Bellinger for a starting job. Those two may be the only tight ends on the roster with every-down potential, as Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz are veteran blocking specialists, while Lawrence Cager and Tyree Jackson profile as oversized slot receivers. None of the bunch has ever caught more than 34 passes in a season at the NFL or college levels.
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Giants' Theo Johnson: Dealing with hip injury
Rotowire
The Giants are hopeful that Johnson (hip), who was placed on the PUP list Tuesday, isn't dealing with a long-term injury, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.
Johnson will be eligible to come off the PUP list as soon as he's able to practice, so if his hip issue is indeed minor, he may not have to miss much of training camp. The rookie fourth-round pick has just over three weeks to recover prior to New York's preseason opener against the Lions on Aug. 8. When healthy, Johnson should compete with Daniel Bellinger (undisclosed) for the No. 1 tight end role.
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Giants' Theo Johnson: Hits PUP list
Rotowire
The Giants placed Johnson (undisclosed) on the PUP list Tuesday with an undisclosed injury, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Johnson will be eligible to come off the PUP list any time during training camp or the preseason, but his expected recovery timetable remains unclear, as does the nature of his injury. The rookie fourth-round pick could have an opportunity to compete with Daniel Bellinger (undisclosed) for the starting tight end job, which is wide open in the wake of Darren Waller's retirement. It would be a notable blow to Johnson's outlook if he's forced to miss a substantial portion of camp.
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Giants' Theo Johnson: May start as a rookie
Rotowire
Johnson and Daniel Bellinger will compete to be the Giants' top tight end after Darren Waller decided to retire, Darryl Slater of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Johnson ran a 4.57 40 at the combine while checking in at 6-foot-6, 259 pounds, vaulting him to the early fourth round of the 2024 Draft (107th overall) even though he never topped 341 receiving yards in any of his four seasons at Penn State. He did score 11 TDs over his final two years, and there's a nice opportunity for immediate playing time in New York following Waller's retirement. Bellinger is a 2022 fourth-round pick who entered the NFL with a similar profile, having run a 4.63 40 at 6-foot-5, 253 pounds, after never topping 357 yards or three TDs in a season during his four years at San Diego State. Bellinger has played 1,262 snaps on offense through two years in the NFL while catching 55 of 63 career targets (87.3 percent), but his low rate of targets per route (12.3 percent) and lack of big performances (single-game high of 43 yards) suggests he may fit better as a No. 2 tight end long term. Johnson thus seems like the more intriguing prospect for fantasy, although he comes with some of the same concerns and is only five months younger than Bellinger.
