If you're looking for a comp for Johnston, you could do worse than looking across the locker room at Mike Williams. Both are big-bodied receivers drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft who have had some separation and route-running question marks. Williams averaged 71.7 yards per game at Clemson, and Johnston averaged 73 at TCU. The Chargers are hoping Johnston does a better job staying healthy, but they'd be thrilled if Johnston could give them what Williams has per game the last two years. In rookie drafts, Johnston is a surefire first-round pick in all formats who could go as early as No. 4 in one-QB leagues. In redraft, leave him for the double-digit rounds unless Williams misses time in training camp with his back injury.
Johnston is slated for a larger role on offense with Mike Williams (knee) having suffered a season-ending ACL tear, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Johnston has played less than 25 percent of offensive snaps in each of the Chargers' first three games this season, but he'll need to step up quickly for the passing game with Williams, an every-down player, done for the year. The rookie first-round pick profiles particularly well as a deep threat, which makes him both an ideal fit for Justin Herbert's arm talent and as a complement to Keenan Allen, but he has yet to flash that explosiveness at the NFL level. Sunday's upcoming matchup against a struggling Raiders secondary could set the stage well for Johnston to take advantage of his new opportunity, however. Meanwhile, Joshua Palmer also figures to step into a larger spotlight in the wake of Williams' injury.
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Chargers' Quentin Johnston: Limited snaps again
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Johnston caught two of his three targets for 10 yards in Sunday's 28-24 win over the Vikings.
For a third consecutive week the 2023 first-round pick played under 25 percent of the total team snaps. It appears as though Johnston will need at least one injury ahead of him on the depth chart to get any sort of sizable workload, but with Mike Williams slated for an MRI on Monday after injuring his knee in Sunday's win, that opportunity could come sooner rather than later.
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Chargers' Quentin Johnston: Week 3 Early Waiver Targets (Add/Drop)
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Johnston has been pretty much a non-factor through his first three career games, with just 26 scrimmage yards while running fourth pretty consistently among the Chargers wide receivers. However, he may be forced into a larger role moving forward after Mike Williams left Sunday's game with a knee injury. "Next man up" doesn't always work in Fantasy Football, especially when it comes to the passing game, but in this case, it's worth rolling the dice on a first-round WR who could be in line for a bigger role, replacing a player who does a lot of the same things in the offense that Johnston should be able to do, at least in theory. That doesn't necessarily mean Johnston is going to be a useful Fantasy option – I certainly wouldn't start him in Week 4 against the Raiders unless I was absolutely desperate – but I'd rather be a week early on adding him than a week late and miss my opportunity.
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Chargers' Quentin Johnston: Little playing time again
Rotowire
Johnston caught one of his two targets for seven yards in the 27-24 overtime loss to the Titans on Sunday.
The Chargers have a deep wide receiver corps, but it's a bit surprising to see the 2023 first-round pick play just 10 total snaps Sunday after registering a paltry 22 in his NFL debut last week. With Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Joshua Palmer all healthy, it's understandably hard for the rookie target to crack the rotation. However, given the draft capital invested in the big-bodied target, it feels unlikely Johnston will continue to be a non-factor as the season progresses.
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Chargers' Quentin Johnston: Just 22 offensive snaps
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Johnston tallied two catches on three targets for nine yards in Sunday's 36-34 loss to the Dolphins.
Despite the fact Mike Williams was sidelined for part of the first half due to a head injury, Johnston only saw 22 offensive snaps, far below supposed No. 4 wide receiver Joshua Palmer's 55. It's possible the Chargers simply want to ease Johnston into NFL action, but the big-bodied first-round pick was expected to fill a significant role right away. His fantasy upside in Week 2 against the Titans could depend on Williams' availability.
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Chargers' Quentin Johnston: Plays into second quarter
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Johnston caught both of his targets for 15 yards in Friday's 23-12 preseason win over San Francisco.
Johnston played into the second quarter and technically was the Chargers' leading receiver on a night that saw them rest all their other key players and throw for only 53 yards on 20 pass attempts. The rookie first-round pick closes out his preseason with eight caches for 62 yards and a TD on 11 targets, and he'll either be the Chargers' third or fourth wide receiver when they host the Dolphins in Week 1.
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Chargers' Quentin Johnston: Bolts to Los Angeles
Rotowire
The Chargers selected Johnston in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 21st overall.
Wide receiver was a need for the Chargers and that market was slow to develop in the first round, which worked out in their favor. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the first receiver off the board the pick right before and now Johnston is headed to Los Angeles. Johnston isn't a perfect prospect -- there are questions about his route-running and whether the athletic dominance he showed against Big 12 competition at TCU will translate after running a 4.51 40 at his pro day -- but he's the most projectable outside receiver in this class at 6-foot-3. He projects to line up opposite Mike Williams with Keenan Allen in the slot. Johnston may be fourth in the target pecking order when the season starts, but there are durability concerns with the other Charger receivers. In all, this is a solid landing spot for Johnston, who now has a chance to be fantasy-relevant as a rookie in an explosive passing attack.
