Quentin Johnston Fantasy Overview

2025 Role & Results

Beating Expectations

Johnston caught 51 passes for 735 yards and 8 TDs. The yardage marked a new career high, while the TD total matched his 2024 high.

Johnston finished WR32 in total PPR points and WR25 in PPR points per game, well ahead of his finish in expected PPG (WR40).

Not Much Changed From 2024

Johnston saw an 18.3% target share, down from 20.7% in 2024. Keenan Allen’s addition explains the volume gap, but the role essentially remained the same:

Critical TD Production

Those 8 TDs did a lot of the heavy lifting because the rest of Johnston’s efficiency profile remained shaky.

Among 76 WRs with 50+ targets, Johnston ranked:

• 43rd in receiving yards share
• 44th in yards per route run
• 50th in yards per target

Johnston boosted his catch rate from 59.1% to 65.1%, but that didn’t do much for his fantasy production given the drop in target share.

Poor Protection Impacts QB Play

The Chargers landed 12th in total yards but only 20th in scoring. The passing game checked in 13th in attempts, 18th in yards, and 11th in TDs.

That’s a decent profile, especially factoring in the tough conditions around Justin Herbert. OTs Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater combined to miss 28 games and factored heavily in the QB seeing a league-high 43.3% pressure rate.

Johnston Battles Several Injuries

Johnston sustained a concussion on Aug. 16 but returned in time for the opener. He later missed Week 6 with a hamstring injury and Week 16 with a groin issue, and appeared on the injury report with shin and shoulder injuries.

That followed a 2024 season in which an ankle injury cost him two games.

2026 Opportunity & Projection

Targets Up For Grabs

Keenan Allen’s departure opens up 122 targets from last year’s offense. Johnston should absorb at least some of that volume.

The Chargers also return expected No. 1 Ladd McConkey and second-year WR Tre Harris. McConkey’s efficiency and raw production dipped in 2025, but he’s still just 24 (until Nov. 11) with a rookie-season breakout on his resume.

Harris brings the physical profile to push Johnston, but the early production doesn’t help his case. He managed just 30 catches for 324 yards and 1 TD as a rookie.

Round 4 deep threat Brenen Thompson doesn’t profile as a big contributor either. He brings deep speed but appears suited for a niche role at 164 pounds.

The TE room has depth, but it shouldn’t seriously threaten Johnston’s role. Oronde Gadsden II had a flashy but inconsistent rookie campaign. David Njoku arrives after an injury-plagued season that saw Harold Fannin Jr. pass him in Cleveland. Free-agent addition Charlie Kolar is more blocker than proven receiver.

Overall, it’s an improved situation for Johnston’s target-earning potential.

Supporting Cast Looks Excellent

Johnston enters Year 4 with Justin Herbert. Despite facing heavy pressure last season, Herbert still finished ninth in pass attempts and ninth in yards. He remains an asset for Johnston.

The O-line will bear watching after both OTs underwent offseason surgeries. LT Rashawn Slater and RT Joe Alt are at least on track to participate in training camp.

Johnston Will Learn a New Offensive Scheme

Mike McDaniel enters Year 1 as the Chargers’ play-caller. His Miami units ranked 10th, seventh, ninth, and 21st in neutral pass rate. That’s comparable to the Chargers’ finishes at 14th in two seasons under OC Greg Roman.

McDaniel’s scheme cuts both ways for Johnston. Miami’s offense averaged a 33.25% fullback snap rate over four seasons, so heavier personnel could help his target efficiency. But that’s only if he becomes a staple in 1 and 2-WR sets ahead of McConkey and/or Harris.

McDaniel’s Dolphins used 3- and 4-WR sets far less often than last year’s Chargers, 53% to 81%. That creates some route-rate risk for Johnston, particularly if Harris earns a larger role.

Paths to Ceiling

Johnston has overproduced on TDs in two straight seasons, scoring 16 times vs. 11.7 expected. He’ll likely need that to continue for a true ceiling outcome.

The other path is development and a usage spike under Mike McDaniel, who praised Johnston’s early OTA work and compared some of his traits to Julio Jones and Andre Johnson.

Johnston doesn’t present that kind of WR1 ceiling, but McDaniel leaning into his size and explosiveness could help lift last year’s low targets-per-route mark.

Risk Factors

Johnston still faces a tough path out of secondary-target status. McConkey returns, Harris brings Year 2 growth potential, and the Chargers now feature Gadsden and Njoku at TE.