Chargers WR Quentin Johnston Poised For Larger Role After Mike Williams Retirement

Quentin Johnston enters 2025 with touchdown upside and a chance to secure a larger fantasy role in the Chargers’ evolving offense.

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston (1) on the field against the New England Patriots in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

After an underwhelming rookie year, Quentin Johnston flashed his scoring potential down the stretch in 2024, showing signs of real fantasy growth. With eight touchdowns and increased usage late in the season, he heads into 2025 as a boom-or-bust WR3 candidate with red-zone appeal.

Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers

Johnston came to the NFL with an edge in size (6’3” and 210 lbs.). Early in his career, he’ll work with a limited route tree while offering big-play ability to the Chargers’ offense. Johnston can be slowed off the line of scrimmage by physical defenders, but he has the wheels to win over the long field. His stature points to an edge in scoring in the red zone, while needing to improve his success in jump balls. Johnson doesn’t project as well over the short areas of the field, and his hands look questionable under duress.

Over his first two seasons at TCU, Johnston caught only 52.3% of his 105 targets for 1,121 yards and eight touchdowns while adding five rushes for 15 yards and a score. In 2022, he finished with 60 catches for 1,069 yards and six touchdowns on 96 targets, upping his catch rate to 62.5%. When at his best, Johnston had four high-profile games (14/206/1, 8/180/1, 4/139, and 6/163/1). In his other 10 matchups, he had four catches or fewer in all contests, leading to seven dull outings (3/22, 2/22, 3/29, 4/41, 0/0, 4/48, and 1/3).

When given a free release, Johnston will undoubtedly create problems for defenses, and he can get past the second level with daylight to roam. Johnston has the moves and acceleration to evade coverage well downfield, while also having a feel for winning the hand-checking battle. His hands under fire will determine his early success in the NFL.

In his rookie season, Johnston caught 38 of his 67 targets (56.7%) for 440 yards and two touchdowns. He scored 10.00 fantasy points or more in five matchups (5/50, 4/34/1, 5/52, 3/91, and 2/23/1) while failing to meet his fantasy draft expectations. Chargers gave him WR2 snaps (64.6%), but Johnston finished 74th in fantasy scoring (94.00) in PPR formats.

The Chargers had him on the field for 62.6% of their plays last season, giving Johnston a WR2 opportunity. Over 15 games, he caught 55 of his 91 targets (60.4%) for 711 yards and eight touchdowns. Los Angeles featured him in Week 18 (13/186 on 14 targets) while also upping his role from Week 14 to Week 17 (5/48/1, 5/45/1, 3/18, and 5/48) on 31 combined targets. Johnston flashed in two earlier games (5/51/2 and 4/118/1), but he had six targets or fewer in nine of his 10 starts. An ankle injury cost him two games midseason.

Quentin Johnston 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook:

In the offseason, Los Angeles brought back Mike Williams (who then promptly retired) and added Tre Harris to compete for targets with Johnston. His growth in 2024 demonstrates his value in scoring, while still leaving room for improvement in big plays. His next step should be 65 catches for 900 yards with about seven touchdowns. This summer, Tre Harris has been drafted ahead of Johnston, which is something to follow over the summer. I’ll side with the more experienced player, with an ear to the coach-speak out of Chargers’ camp this summer.