Juwan Johnson or Kyle Pitts Sr.: Who Should You Start?

The call

• Role is locked in: 75% snap share and an 18% target share over 17 games make him a genuine part of the New Orleans passing game, not a situational blocker.
• Game script helps — as a 7-point underdog with a 20.8 implied team total, the Saints should be throwing late, and Johnson is the type of short-to-intermediate outlet that inherits those looks.
• The cap is the concern: TE16 at 8.8 projected points is the fringe of startable, and the Detroit DvP composite sits at a middling 19 of 32 with a 0-game sample, so there's no matchup edge to bank on.
• Tipping point: start him if your alternative is a sub-15% target share streamer; sit him if you have a top-12 TE with a defined red-zone role.

The call

• A 23% target share at tight end is elite-tier usage, and the 88% snap rate means Pitts is on the field for every situational package — that floor alone clears replacement level at a thin position.
• Consensus has him TE7 at 10.4 projected points; you are not finding a better option on the waiver wire in a 12-team league.
• The DvP composite lists Pittsburgh 27 of 32 (32 = softest), but it carries a 0-game sample and 0.00 confidence, so treat it as neutral rather than a bonus.
• The real drag is the 19.8 implied team total with a 3.0-point spread — a low-scoring script caps the ceiling, but the target volume protects the floor.