Quentin

Johnston

Johnston saw most of his targets after Ladd McConkey left the game in the third quarter with a chest injury. He totaled 61 air yards, trailing McConkey and Tre Harris. The low-octane LA offense had just 27 pass attempts on the day, limiting every pass catcher besides McConkey. Johnston in Week 2 will continue operating as a high variance WR3 or flex play when the Bolts take on the Raiders.

Thompson stopped by the blue medical tent before being taken to the locker room. This is a bummer. The speedy wide receiver played all three first-team reps with QB Justin Herbert. Herbert hung up his cleats for the night after that drive, but Thompson remained on the field, earning two targets from QB Trey Lance. The first yielded a seven-yard gain on a comeback route. The second was thrown 50-plus yards downfield. Thompson dove for it, but a defender likely got away with a DPI no-call, and Lance slightly overthrew the pass anyway. Hopefully, Thompson is only dealing with a minor injury and can continue his encouraging development soon. Chargers WRs Quentin Johnston and Tre’ Harris appear to be inactive.

Johnston limped off at today’s 49ers-Chargers joint practice but it seems like this isn’t serious. A source told Schefter that Johnston was “totally fine.”

He was noted as “coming up limping” and worked with a trainer on the sideline. It doesn’t seem like this is a major injury as he was noted as “working off to the side” by Chargers beat Fernando Ramirez, but we’ll keep an eye out for any further updates on Johnston’s status.

Harris, a 2025 second-round pick, largely contributed as a dirty-work player last season, blocking in the run game and playing on special teams. That said, Harris led the wide receiver corps with 4.7 yards after the catch per reception via 46 targets. He fits new OC Mike McDaniel’s run-after-catch scheme. It sounds like Harris is penciled in as the Bolts’ WR3 right now, warranting late-round consideration in best ball formats.

McDaniel runs a fantasy-friendly scheme, particularly for wide receivers. His play designs setup players to run for extra yardage after the catch. His frequent use of fullbacks, and moderate use of two-tight end sets, reduces the wide receiver position’s target competition quality. We can expect whichever Chargers wide receivers are on the field to produce efficiently. If Johnston can secure a dominant snap share as the WR2, he can easily return value on his current WR43 ADP in best ball.

McDaniel told reporters that they would be “hard pressed to find a guy that’s grown more, specifically in the last week, than Q.” McDaniel then said that Johnston “has some traits in his game that are similar to some very powerful, explosive, productive receivers” that McDaniel coached previously. The two players McDaniel referenced are former Texans WR Andre Johnson and former Falcons WR Julio Jones. To be clear, we expect Johnston to fall well short of those lofty comparisons. Johnston finished as the PPR WR34 last season. Inching his way up the WR3 tier could happen under McDaniel’s guidance. Hopefully, the positive reports continue during organized team activities and training camp.

Johnston will make a fully-guaranteed $18 million in 2027. It’s probably a bit rich given his production so far, but not a drastic overpay. GM Joe Hortiz shot down trade rumors about Johnston ahead of the draft and this transaction clearly signals some confidence in him developing further under new OC Mike McDaniel. With very little new in the wideout room, Johnston could be on the WR3/WR4 radar in fantasy in 2026.

Johnston has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, but Hortiz shut them down on Thursday, saying he has not made any calls regarding the former first-rounder and that he and the team are “really excited about the wide receiver room” heading into this season. Johnston hasn’t quite lived up to the hype that made him the No. 21 overall pick in 2023, but the 6-foot-2 speedster has tallied over 700 yards in each of the last two seasons while also scoring eight touchdowns in both seasons. Johnston missed two games last season due to injury and was sidelined for a meaningless Week 18 game against the Broncos, but still finished with a career high of 735 yards. With Keenan Allen unlikely to return in 2026, if the Chargers don’t do much to address their receiver room in the draft, Johnston could have some nice mid-round value in the upcoming fantasy season.

Rhim also notes that “the right offer could quickly change” the team’s stance on Johnston, but that the team’s “decision-makers love Johnston.” The third-year vet and former first-round pick is due to have his fifth-year option exercised by May 1st, but it remains to be seen if the Chargers will opt into the extension for the 6-foot-2 speedster. Johnston caught 51 passes for 735 yards and eight touchdowns last season, nearly replicating his 55-711-8 line from 2024. Despite previous reports that Johnston could be available for a trade, it sounds like the belief is the team would prefer to retain him barring an unexpected trade offer they would have no choice but to accept.