Quentin

Johnston

Johnston was bullied by Houston’s physical cornerbacks and appeared to be nicked up a couple times. Johnston had a tremendous bounce back campaign following his catastrophic, error-filled rookie campaign in 2023. Head coach Jim Harbaugh helped to instil confidence in the former star wideout from TCU on his way to 55 catches, 711 yards, and eight touchdowns over 15 games (Johnston battled various injuries in the second half of the season). At 18 air yards per reception in the regular season, Johnston profiled as a volatile big play fantasy option, and would seem likely to resume that role in 2025. He could be a sneaky late-round option who will be the distant No. 2 receiver in LA behind Ladd McConkey.

Both skill position players came into the weekend listed as questionable but will ultimately suit up for the visiting Chargers, who look for an elusive road playoff win Saturday against the Texans. The Chargers will roll out a backfield consisting of Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Hassan Haskins, with notable free agent addition Ezekiel Elliott watching from the sidelines after joining the team five days ago. Johnston will likely be tasked with additional volume after setting career highs in receptions and yards in Week 18 in the absence of Joshua Palmer.

No surprise here as Johnston was able to get in a full practice before the end of the week. Schefter’s report Saturday that Johnston is expected to play barring a setback comes on the heels of a Jeremy Fowler report Friday that the 23-year-old wide receiver was “good to go” for the Wild Card Game. With Josh Palmer still out, Johnston is the primary deep threat in the Chargers offense.

Johnston was limited on Tuesday before being downgraded to a DNP on Wednesday. While more than a little concerning, the day off seems to have worked out in his favor. He was back on the field for the final session of the week before being listed as questionable. Johnston dominated the Chargers’ targets sans Josh Palmer in Week 18. He caught 13 passes for 186 yards versus Las Vegas. With Palmer out again, Johnston should see plenty of deep shots versus the Texans on Saturday, making him a high-upside DFS play for the first slate of the weekend.

Johnston was a limited participant in two of three practices this week. If he’s active, the Chargers’ second-year receiver could see a slight increase in targets this weekend after Josh Palmer (foot) has already been ruled out. Johnston erupted for 13 catches for 186 yards in the Chargers’ Week 18 win over the Raiders and end the regular season with a line of 55-711-8.

Johnston was only listed with the thigh ailment while participating in a limited capacity on Tuesday so the illness is a new, worrying development. While Johnston is likely to play through both issues, his Thursday practice participation should give us a better idea of his overall health. Practicing in full would be a great sign.

It’s a new listing for the Chargers second-year wideout after he hauled in 186 yards in Week 18’s win over the Raiders. (And yes, we checked, Zion Johnson also is listed this time so the Chargers don’t appear to have made a mistake with this listing.) Johnston is probably just being managed ahead of the Wild Card Round game against the Texans on Saturday, but we’ll keep checking in on him.

Justin Hebert also tried to find Johnston in the end zone, but the Raiders stopped him from punctuating the day with a touchdown... by committing pass interference. Lack of a touchdown aside, the Chargers and fantasy managers alike couldn’t ask for more from the second-year wideout. He capped a career-save second season with high-water marks in catches and yards. Herbert was forced to lean on him with fellow deep threat Josh Palmer out and he didn’t disappoint. Palmer looks unlikely to play in the Wild Card Round, putting Johnston in line for another high-volume outing to open the playoffs.

Johnston was the Chargers’ second-most targeted receiver in a blowout victory over the Patriots. He had a first drive drop, but was targeted at the sticks on the perimeter often. Johnston’s longest catch went for 19 yards in a productive day, though it ends in a middling fantasy performance. Johnston is a WR4 for any Week 18 fantasy considerations.

Johnston did tie for the team lead with six targets, but he wasn’t able to do much with them while seeing his touchdown streak end at two. He also had a heinous drop near the end of the game, because of course he did. There’s no denying Johnston’s talent nor that he’s shown vast improvement over his rookie season, but this is still much more of a long-term play than one you can trust going forward as more than a WR4. He’ll look to bounce back against the Patriots in Week 17.