Fantasy Football Player Notes

McConkey was wildly efficient as a rookie, averaging 2.59 yards per route run and 10.3 yards per target en route to an 82-catch, 1,149-yard season. McConkey only had 112 targets in 16 games, and there might not be much room for target growth in Greg Roman's slow-paced, run-heavy offense -- and the Chargers' early-August signing of Keenan Allen won't help in that regard. McConkey offers a sturdy floor, but his ceiling may not be as high as some people imagine.

Keenan Allen has returned to the Chargers, signing a one-year deal in early August. The 33-year-old Allen had 70-744-7 in 15 games for the Bears last season. It seems reasonable to expect similar numbers for 2025, although Greg Roman's run-heavy offense and the presence of young star Ladd McConkey probably caps Allen's ceiling at the WR4 level for fantasy.

Harris, the soul-snatching route savant, landed with the Bolts in the second round of the NFL Draft. His 2025 outlook took a massive hit with Los Angeles signing Keenan Allen. It bumps Harris from a starting spot in three wide immediately to a situation where he is competing with Quentin Johnston for starting reps. Harris has the talent to beat out Johnston, but it's not a slam dunk that the Bolts coaching staff will give him every down run over Johnston weekly. Harris ranked first and ninth in yards per route run over the last two years (per PFF). He's sadly a final-round dart only in redraft now.

Quentin Johnston was a fantasy football surprise in 2024. After a troubling rookie season, he finished as the WR37 in fantasy points per game last year with eight total touchdowns (13th-most). His season-ending stats do lie, though. Last year, he finished with 711 receiving yards, but he racked up 26.1% of that (186 receiving yards) in Week 18. In Weeks 1-17, he had an 18.1% target share and 23.1% first-read share, but he had only 37.5 receiving yards per game, 1.55 yards per route run, and 0.077 first downs per route run to show for it (per Fantasy Points Data). Last year, in Weeks 1-17, he ranked 91st out of 107 qualifying receivers in separation. With the arrival of Keenan Allen, Johnston will now fight with Tre Harris for snaps in three wide receiver formations this season. Johnston is a final round of your draft flyer only.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith quietly put together one of the most underrated profiles in the 2025 rookie WR class. After four years at Penn State, he transferred to Auburn and broke out in a big way, posting a 31% dominator rating with a 50-981-8 receiving line. It's rare to see a player switch to the SEC and immediately produce, but Lambert-Smith finished top-5 in the conference in total receiving yards and averaged nearly 20 yards per catch. Drafted in the 5th round by the Chargers, Lambert-Smith lands in a favorable spot as a downfield weapon for Justin Herbert.