Quentin Johnston fantasy football

Chargers WR Quentin Johnston set for expanded role in wake of Mike Williams’ injury

With Mike Williams out for the season, Quentin Johnston’s playing time will increase.

The Chargers suffered a massive blow as Mike Williams was ruled out for the remainder of the 2023 season with a torn ACL.

For a team that has dealt with injuries in seasons prior, the mantra has always been “next man up.” In this case, it will be Joshua Palmer and rookie Quentin Johnston playing alongside Keenan Allen.

Johnston, the team’s 2023 first-round pick, has played just 48 offensive snaps in three games, which has resulted in five catches for 26 yards.

When they drafted him, the initial plan for Johnston was to bring him along slowly as he was a high-upside player yet still had a lot to work on. But now, he will need to step up quicker than expected.

“We drafted Quentin with the belief in the player and the long-term vision,” Brandon Staley said, per the Chargers’ official website. “Now he’s going to get an opportunity. And now you’re going to see more of him.”

Johnston has the speed and explosiveness to stretch the field, outpace defenders in the open field, and has the size to stack defensive backs.

Expect Kellen Moore to design plays for Justin Herbert to get Johnston the ball in space. He averaged 8.9 yards after the catch in 2022 (10th in FBS), and his 18 forced missed tackles ranked eighth this season among receivers in the Power 5 conferences.

This weekend will be a great opportunity for Johnston to flash that tantalizing skill set facing a struggling Raiders secondary.

“All he needs to continue to do is what he’s done ever since he’s been here, which is continue to make progress on the field,” Staley added. “Over time, he’s going to make more and more plays for us. We’re really happy with him but he’s going to get to shine in a bigger way now.”

Fantasy football: Chargers WR Quentin Johnston tabbed as ‘sleeper to consider for 2023 season’

Quentin Johnston provides great value.

With the 2023 NFL regular season just weeks away, football fans are working hard to get their fantasy football teams together.

While Vikings’ Justin Jefferson, 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey, Bengals’ Jamarr Chase and Chargers’ Austin Ekeler headline a crop of the top players, the depth players are what make a championship team.

That is why not the most well-known or highly regarded yet still talented players in fantasy are just as imperative. That includes rookie wide receiver Quentin Johnston.

Johnston was among The 33rd Team’s 11 sleepers to consider for the upcoming season.

Johnston is also a rookie wide receiver with Round 1 draft capital, which, historically, is an archetype that serves fantasy managers well.

Johnston was drafted to provide a spark to Los Angeles’ offense as he has the speed and explosiveness to stretch the field, outpace defenders in the open field, and has the size to stack defensive backs.

Johnston needs to clean up the dropped passes that have lingered from his college playing days.

Nonetheless, Kellen Moore will design looks for Justin Herbert to get Johnston the ball in space. He averaged 8.9 yards after the catch in 2022 (10th in FBS), and his 18 forced missed tackles ranked eighth this season among receivers in the Power 5 conferences. Hello, big plays.

And even with Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Joshua Palmer in front of him on the depth chart, Johnston still presents an intriguing option to get playing time early on, with room to grow into a sizable role if Allen or Williams were to go down with an injury.

I’m projecting Johnston to finish with 45-50 receptions for 650-700 yards and 4-6 touchdowns.

Does the LA Chargers offense have room for Quentin Johnston?

LA’s offense is rich with talent, but there’s only one football. Will Johnston matter as a rookie?

With a positional depth chart that includes a five-time Pro Bowl selection (Keenan Allen), a former top-10 pick with two 1,000-yard campaigns under his belt (Mike Williams), and a third-year pro coming off a 72-769-3 effort in 2022 (Joshua Palmer), wide receiver didn’t look like a pressing need for the Los Angeles Chargers entering the 2023 NFL Draft. General manager Tom Telesco disagreed.

Telesco decided to use his first-round pick, 22nd overall, on TCU wideout Quentin Johnston, who caught 60 passes for 1,069 yards and six touchdowns as a junior last year. While the pick initially might have raised some eyebrows, especially given LA’s glaring issues running the ball and stopping the run, a closer look shows a potentially strong fit.

Let’s start with the holdovers. Long considered one of the NFL’s best route runners, Allen turned 31 in April and is coming of an injury-plagued 2022 that saw him miss seven games. The veteran is also more chain mover than downfield threat, having not eclipsed 12.0 yards per catch since 2018.

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Williams is great on contested balls, but he has dealt with injuries as well, and despite his size he’s topped five TD grabs in a season only once in the past four years. While Palmer took a step in Year 2, he’s yet to prove he’s more than a possession option.

Despite all three being talented contributors, there’s one thing they’re all missing: speed. That lack of big-play ability is borne out in Justin Herbert‘s numbers as the strong-armed quarterback averaged a career-low 6.8 yards per attempt — only Tom Brady (733) attempted more passes than Herbert (699), who finished second to Patrick Mahomes (5,250) in passing yardage (4,739) despite heavily featuring short and intermediate routes.

Los Angeles hopes the selection of Johnston will go a long way toward fixing that issue. The rookie has an exciting mix of size (6-foot-3, 208 pounds), speed, and acceleration, and he’ll be given every chance to claim the starting job opposite Williams on the outside with Allen manning the slot. In that scenario, Palmer would slide into the No. 4 receiver role.

There’s also sure to be changes as Kellen Moore takes over as offensive coordinator from Joe Lombardi. During his four years as the Dallas Cowboys’ OC, Moore’s offenses ranked in the top six in scoring three times, and in terms of pushing the ball downfield, Dak Prescott averaged 8.2, 8.4, 7.5, and 7.3 yards per attempt, respectively, under Moore.

Fantasy football outlook

Things could go a few ways for Johnston in 2023. If he comes in, picks up Moore’s playbook, and earns a starting job, he could become Herbert’s de facto deep threat. In that role, Johnston could have real value given Herbert’s willingness (and ability) to air it out.

If the rookie struggles, LA could roll with Allen, Williams, and Palmer, pushing Johnston into reserve duty. Even if that ends up being the case, he’s one injury away from a featured role in a prominent passing design.

Consider Johnston a borderline top-50 fantasy receiver who would make an intriguing late-round target.