Tez

Johnson

Johnson was targeted a few times downfield in the second half and nearly came down with a long catch that would have put the Bucs in position to beat Cleveland. Johnson, who ran a route on 16 of the Bucs’ 41 drop backs, won’t be fantasy relevant unless the team struggles with wideout injuries.

Johnson left practice early Tuesday to get treatment for an apparent strain. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said the 24-year-old wideout is dealing with a groin injury. The severity of the injury is unclear as Bowles said it’s too early to tell if any of the team’s top four wide receivers would miss next week’s joint practices with the Jets. Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, and Jalen McMillan also missed practice out of maintenance and precaution. With Johnson and David Sills also exiting practice, rookie Ted Hurst saw a boost in practice reps.

Laine compliments Johnson for standing out among the Buccaneers’ wide receivers, competing in “arguably the most competitive room on the team.” The second-year wide receiver posted a 28/322/5 receiving line as a rookie and should turn in another usable, if volatile FLEX season while stretching the field for Tampa Bay in 2026.

The Buccaneers didn’t throw the ball much due to Baker Mayfield’s shoulder issues on top of rainy conditions in Tampa Bay. But Johnson wasn’t likely to get many targets anyway. The rookie wideout showed some real promise at times while Tampa dealt with wideout injuries, and could be in line for more targets in 2026 depending on what the Bucs do with their crowded wideout room. He likely won’t be a factor in the playoffs if the Buccaneers are able to clinch the division with a Saints win over the Falcons.

At least not officially. Johnson did draw a 28-yard DPI early in the third quarter. Fair enough, but today’s doughnut comes as Mike Evans is probably on the right side of questionable to return for Thursday’s game against the Falcons. Even if he doesn’t, rookie Johnson has proven to be a safe 12-team league drop with bye weeks over and the fantasy playoffs beginning in Week 15.

With Bucky Irving finally back in action and Chris Godwin getting more involved, Johnson’s usage cratered. The only time he made a noticeable impact in the game was when his second quarter OPI penalty took a Rachaad White touchdown off the board. Johnson should continue to soak up snaps and run routes in this short-handed offense, at least until Mike Evans returns. It’s just not providing WR4 numbers in fantasy with the playoffs almost here.

He also rushed three times for zero yards. Johnson has been a nice story as a seventh-round rookie, but he has never topped 60 yards receiving in a game, so his fantasy value is excessively tied to touchdown value. That makes him really difficult to trust, especially next week against the Rams.

It’s not a great mode to be in as the Bucs head into their Week 11 matchup against the Bills. Stroud said he did not expected Godwin or Irving to practice Wednesday, and both players would seem unlikely to suit up against Buffalo. Look for Rachaad White and Sean Tucker to continue splitting the Bucs’ backfield workload against a weak Buffalo rush defense, and for Tez Johnson to operate as the team’s WR2 with Godwin sidelined.

The two-score day doubled Johnson’s previous season total. He found the end zone from 10 and 11 yards out. Johnson’s first touchdown had him get free in the right right corner of the painted area as Baker Mayfield desperately danced around to create more time. Johnson is proving to be a stable-floor, questionable-ceiling option as a weekly WR4 as the Bucs wait for the likes of Chris Godwin and Mike Evans to get healthy. That won’t be in Week 11 against the Bills, keeping Johnson in the top-50 mix.

Saints CB Alontae Taylor caused a brief scare by laying a hard hit on the diminutive wide receiver on a 12-yard gain, but Johnson encouragingly hopped up immediately after and showed no ill effects from the forceful interaction. Johnson repeatedly made plays in the middle of the field, tallying multiple double-digit gains while trailing on WR Emeka Egbuka with six targets in this one. Johnson will be a WR3/4 against the Patriots following the Buccaneers’ Week 9 bye.