Analysis

The ground game once again took center stage for the Chargers on Sunday, but Johnston created some fireworks for fantasy managers with his 29- and five-yard touchdown grabs in the first half. The second-year wideout had been talked up during the summer as a potential breakout candidate, and despite modest passing numbers for Justin Herbert thus far, Johnston is certainly showing flashes of potentially taking on the mantle of a No. 1 receiver in the future. He'll look to conquer the tough matchup presented by the Steelers defense on the road in Week 3.

Analysis

Johnston was actually the team's leading receiver heading into the fourth quarter, but two of his catches were first-read looks for minimal yards and his longest, a 16-yard reception, came on a shallow crossing route with the defense stationed way back to prevent a third-and-long conversion. It's at least encouraging that quarterback Justin Herbert trusted Johnston on the designed looks given the second-year receiver's struggles in his rookie year, but it'll be interesting to see if Joshua Palmer and Ladd McConkey continue to generate more opportunities as the season progresses.

Analysis

Johnston had a quiet rookie campaign last year in the shadows of former teammate and superstar wideout Keenan Allen. With the latter joining Chicago in the offseason, a large chunk of production suddenly frees up for the current receiver room. Joshua Palmer and early second-round pick Ladd McConkey figure to occupy significant portions of the statistical pie, with Johnston and veteran DJ Chark jockeying for position not far behind the projected duo of young starters. Should Johnston carve out a role as the team's third option or slot receiver, he could wind up outproducing his draft slot this season.

Analysis

Horitz mentioned that in his time as director of player personnel with Baltimore last season that Johnston "was a player we liked," and he praised the 2023 first-round pick's work ethic this offseason while acknowledging "some rawness to his game" as a rookie. Johnston finished with a subpar 431 yards last season despite suiting up for all 17 games, but with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams (knee) no longer in the picture for Los Angeles, he has a clear path to a starting role alongside incumbent Joshua Palmer, while being joined by DJ Chark and rookie second-rounder Ladd McConkey. New coach Jim Harbaugh and OC Greg Roman could spark life to the Chargers' offense, though the new scheme projects as a run-heavy approach. Still, Johnston will have every opportunity to establish himself atop this depth chart, despite his uninspiring rookie production. He'll need to make some strides this offseason toward more consistently gaining separation, not to mention cleaning up issues with drops.