Chargers starting lineup prediction has one major surprise at wide receiver

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston was not included in the starting lineup predictions of two Pro Football Focus analysts.

Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers have plenty of question marks at wide receiver going into the 2025 campaign, so it's hard to tell exactly how the team's starting group will look.

Ladd McConkey is the only lock in Los Angeles at wide receiver, and behind him are shaky options in Mike Williams, Tre Harris and Quentin Johnston. Harris is, of course, unproven, Williams may be on the decline, and Johnston has been inconsistent.

Knowing all that, Pro Football Focus' Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick did their best to project the Chargers' starting lineup for 2025, but their projection did not include Johnston.

Instead, the PFF analysts have the Chargers starting Harris and Williams on the boundary, with McConkey in the slot. Chadwick and Wasserman ranked the starting lineups of Los Angeles on both sides of the ball at No. 12 in the NFL.

While nobody is saying that Johnston is a lock to take a step forward in 2025, he does enter the season as undoubtedly the second-best wideout on the Chargers' roster.

Again, nobody knows what Harris will be able to provide in Year 1, and Williams, who is set to turn 31 in October, looked like a shell of himself last season and may not contribute like he did in the past.

Johnston should be one of the Chargers' starters going into the season, and Williams and Harris should battle it out for the other spot opposite the former first-round pick.

However, Johnston is going to have to find much more consistency if he actually wants to keep the job.

If not, it's conceivable that Williams or Harris could jump him on the depth chart at some point, but we don't suspect that happening before Week 1.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Chargers from Los Angeles Chargers on SI —

More Los Angeles Chargers News:

Chargers' Joe Alt bulldozes his way to Lane Johnson levels already in OT rankings

Chargers' X-factor spotlighted by PFF is pretty head-scratching

Chargers attacked what PFF says is team's biggest need multiple times

Should Chargers call Dolphins after key Jalen Ramsey deadline, trade rumors heat up?