Tez Johnson is breaking out, but can he be trusted in Week 8 Fantasy Football?
Mike Evans has fallen prey to the 2025 injury curse. Right after returning from a hamstring injury, it appears Evans’ 2025 season will be cut short.
With an injury being described as potentially season-ending, who is stepping up for Baker Mayfield and the high-octane Bucs offensive attack?
After a slow start to the season, Tez Johnson has started showcasing his potential over the last couple of weeks.
With touchdowns in back-to-back games, is Johnson’s emergence a blip on the radar or the real deal?
Let’s dive into Johnson’s week 8 outlook and see if he can continue his hot streak.
Who is Tez Johnson? Prospect Profile
A small, speedy seventh-rounder out of Oregon, the former Duck was not expected to see the field much in 2025.
Johnson is no stranger to adversity. As an infant, his father died by suicide, and he grew up in government housing.
While still a teenager, he was taken in by the family of his former college quarterback Bo Nix. Bo’s father was said to be Johnson’s high school football coach.
In college, Johnson played at Troy for three seasons, amassing a total of 1,809 yards and 8 touchdowns on the back of 141 receptions.
He reunited with Nix in Oregon, where the former high school teammates tore it up for 2,080 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2023 and 2024.
Drawing comparisons to players like Tutu Atwell, Johnson was selected late in the 2025 draft by the Bucs with hopes of him developing into an explosive weapon for Mayfield.
In fact, his versatile skillset made him a potential late-season breakout, according to his RotoBaller prospect profile shared by Sleeper on X.
“Extremely quick and explosive. Creates consistent separation and is a shifty runner with the ball in his hands + a threat for a chunk play every time he touches the ball. Has good hands and can make contested catches in traffic.”
Tez Johnson NFL Performance So Far
His speed and versatility with the ball in his hand have made Johnson a valuable weapon, especially with injuries to Evans and Chris Godwin, thrusting him into the limelight.
With his first NFL TD, a 45 yard beauty from Baker, Johnson highlighted his adaptability during the catch. He contorted his body to adjust and allow him a better catch window before laying out for the six-point snag!
He followed it up with a highlight scamper to the promised land after a checkdown from Baker. Johnson highlighted his burst and athleticism, hurtling a defender before slicing through a crease for extra yardage after the catch.
Then, Johnson made a defender miss with a patient pause followed by a silky smooth spin move before gliding into the endzone.
Johnson has clearly been earning the respect of the coaching staff and his gunslinging quarterback.
Since week 5, he has commanded nearly 21% of those juicy Baker air yards while running a route on almost 66% of drop-backs.
More importantly, Johnson’s being game planned around and being efficient with his opportunities.
In that three-week sample size, Johnson has been the first read on 17% of his routes and has produced a crisp 2.1 yards per route run.
With Evans and Godwin out for most of the season, he knew he needed to step up.
“The younger guys are just always keying on the little things, and we still [have] veterans in that room,” Johnson said. “We still have (Sterling) Shepard and ‘J-Mac’ (Jalen McMillan) in there helping too, even though he is not out there with us. You still have those voices in the room that you listen to and try and get those little details from them and try to tie it to your game.”
When it came to his time to shine, Johnson knew what to do.
He’s had some Hall of Fame help along the way.
Evans has served as a mentor to Johnson, with an article highlighting how their bond grew due to a shared interest in music. He gave Johnson insights for how to make it in the league.
When a receiver who will one day wear a gold jacket speaks, Johnson knows he needs to listen.
“With a man being down, yes it hurts, but just knowing when Mike [Evans] was hurt, he would still communicate with us the best he could. It just shows you the leader and the Hall of Fame guy he is,” Johnson noted in an interview.
His ability to separate has translated reasonably well to the NFL, with an average separation score of 0.101 (WR33), according to Fantasy Points Data.
Should Tez Johnson be started in Week 8?
It’s a simple calculus, really.
Is Evans going to trot out with a robotic shoulder after snapping his collarbone? Highly unlikely! Will Godwin make a miraculous return and be dominant? Equally unlikely.
Do the Baker Bucs love to bomb it around the yard? Ohhhh yeah!
So is Johnson startable in week 8?
The Saints are a friendly matchup for opposing pass catchers, allowing 53.3 fantasy points per game to opposing WRs, per Fantasy points.
Johnson projects to be a heavy part of the game plan and has a great chance to dance in pay dirt for a third straight week. He’s a high upside flex play with a favorable matchup.
“You [have] to always be prepared,” Johnson said. “You never know when your number is called, you never know what is going to happen during this game.
