Quentin Johnston Doesn't Open with Starters

What They're Saying

Popper on Johnston after Day 1 of camp: "He looked sharper coming out of his breaks, which allowed him to create more separation."

HC Jim Harbaugh on Johnston this week: "I just think he got a bad rap. I look at some of the clips coming out of training camp last year. Whatever it was, it just seemed like in somebody's mind he was a disappointment. He hasn't been that at all in my eyes. ... With that speed, the agility, his ability to catch the ball, he plucks it out of the air. He’s as good as anybody doing it. But then combining that speed and agility, getting that strength component to go along with it, he’s going to be a problem. He’s going to be a problem for people."

2024 Fantasy Football Impact

The positive words on Johnston will need to match up with practice reps before Johnston can be worth betting on to any degree this season.

There's obviously plenty of work and depth-chart sorting left to do. But Chark taking the field ahead of Johnston so early in training camp isn't an encouraging sign.

Palmer's had the most production with QB Justin Herbert. McConkey arrived early in the second round and has drawn nothing but praise. They seem like the best bets to remain among the top three WRs.

That likely leaves Johnston battling Chark for the other spot.

Of course, we'll also have to see just how often the Chargers might run three WRs -- and who's on the field primarily for two-WR sets.

Ultimately, this WR corps doesn't look exciting -- especially in what's likely to be a run-leaning offense.

Other Winners & Losers

Chark stands as the biggest winner here. Joining the first team right away positions him well.

Of course, he totaled just 72 catches over the past three seasons, split among three teams. So Chark remains a tough bet for fantasy production even if he hits the regular season as a starter.