The Chargers are 2-0 under Jim Harbaugh and will look to stay undefeated as they face the Steelers in Week 3. Last week, Quentin Johnston came up huge and looked like the answer to the team’s question marks at WR, but should you start or sit him this week against Pittsburgh?
Johnston was a first-round pick for the Chargers in 2023 out of TCU, but he was unable to deliver any fantasy relevance stuck behind Keenan Allen in his rookie campaign.
Coming into this year, after the departures of Allen and Mike Williams, Johnston got a little sleeper buzz, but most fantasy owners focused on rookie Ladd McConkey or Joshua Palmer. Until this week, Johnston was on waivers in most leagues.
He made noise in Week 2 with a pair of touchdown catches and finished with 22.1 fantasy points, catching five of his six targets for 51 yards.
Johnston was also involved in Week 1 and was actually the team’s leading receiver headed into the fourth quarter. He finished with three catches for 51 yards on five targets in that win.
This week, Johnston’s Chargers are 1.5-point road underdogs for their trip to Pittsburgh and Johnston is $4,600 in DFS contests, including the NFL $3.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st] and is +330 to score a touchdown.
Whether you should start Johnston or not depends largely on your other options. I would not start him over a proven option in a more explosive, pass-heavy offense, but he definitely has shown enough upside to be worth flex consideration in most leagues.
Josh Palmer ($4,800; calf/elbow) hasn’t been practicing this week, and if he’s ruled out, Johnston could be the team’s top pass-catcher. Even in a tough matchup against the Steelers, he brings enough upside to be a strong WR3 or flex play with touchdown-dependent upside.
Start or Sit Quentin Johnston? Start.
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