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Stevie Johnson signs with SAN DIEGO (1 Viewer)

Casting Couch

Footballguy
Chargers signed WR Stevie Johnson to a three-year contract.
The Patriots can't catch a break this offseason. They've now struck out with Darrelle Revis,
Johnson and Reggie Bush. NBC4's Dianna Marie Russini says Johnson's decision came down to family.
It's hard to tell how much Johnson has left in the tank after an underwhelming year in San Francisco,
but he could be a nice rebound candidate with Philip Rivers throwing to him.
Johnson should take some of the heat off Keenan Allen, who is coming off a down year of his own.

Source: Dianna Marie Russini on Twitter Mar 17 - 10:44 AM

 
I chuckle at Rotoworld's comments. The Pats really had no chance to bring Revis back unless they cut a number of high priced players. They couldn't take the $25 million cap hit to pick up his option (would have been way over the cap), nor could they have matched the guaranteed money that the Jets gave him. They didn't really need Bush or Johnson, and I am sure they offered both of them the chance to play with a winner but at a sizeable discount. So no one should feel sorry for them for not catching a break. They have almost 6 months to figure things out, and like always, the team will look a little different but they will still find a way to win 12 games (even if right now they look like they are "losing" in free agency).

 
Like the move for the chargers. They need a decent vet wr. they could still use a quality rookie if they can get one but this definitely helps.

 
I like this move for San Diego, assuming the money is reasonable. Johnson didn't get many snaps last season but graded out well, particularly in the slot, so he should be an upgrade on Eddie Royal. He is only 28, and Rivers will be the best QB he has played with by far in his NFL career to date.

This also means the Chargers now have Allen, Floyd, Johnson, Inman, and Jones at WR, so they don't need to spend a draft pick on a WR, which is good since they have so many holes to fill.

 
This actually makes SO much sense for them. No brainer move and probably got the better version of Stevie. Good signing.

 
I like this move for San Diego, assuming the money is reasonable. Johnson didn't get many snaps last season but graded out well, particularly in the slot, so he should be an upgrade on Eddie Royal. He is only 28, and Rivers will be the best QB he has played with by far in his NFL career to date.

This also means the Chargers now have Allen, Floyd, Johnson, Inman, and Jones at WR, so they don't need to spend a draft pick on a WR, which is good since they have so many holes to fill.
inman had a good game last year but come on. Floyd has some fits and spurts in him but what really are you hoping for from him? Jones is a special teamer who plays receiver. stevie and allen might be ok but there's no question the chargers could still use an upgrade. Not saying it's their only priority but it has to be on the list.
 
I like this move for San Diego, assuming the money is reasonable. Johnson didn't get many snaps last season but graded out well, particularly in the slot, so he should be an upgrade on Eddie Royal. He is only 28, and Rivers will be the best QB he has played with by far in his NFL career to date.

This also means the Chargers now have Allen, Floyd, Johnson, Inman, and Jones at WR, so they don't need to spend a draft pick on a WR, which is good since they have so many holes to fill.
inman had a good game last year but come on. Floyd has some fits and spurts in him but what really are you hoping for from him? Jones is a special teamer who plays receiver. stevie and allen might be ok but there's no question the chargers could still use an upgrade. Not saying it's their only priority but it has to be on the list.
While I agree with you, they do have Gates and Greene in the mix as well.

 
Johnson didn't put up big stats last year, but I'm not sure how much of a chance he was given either. His per route and per catch stats were pretty darn good.

As a Stevie fan, I'm just really glad he didn't end up with New England. That would have sucked.

 
Johnson didn't put up big stats last year, but I'm not sure how much of a chance he was given either. His per route and per catch stats were pretty darn good.

As a Stevie fan, I'm just really glad he didn't end up with New England. That would have sucked.
I was hoping Philly would take a look at in but you can't complain if you are an owner. SD is a nice landing spot. The big question is what kind of targets does he get out of the slot. Was Royal's inconsistency there because of Royal or because of the SD offense? And how will that impact Stevie's production? I do believe he is better than what he produced in SF.
 
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:lmao: Rotoworld comments. Missing out on Johnson (and Bush) is 'can't catch a break'?
Yeah, Rotoworld is being pretty dumb here. I do think that the losses of Revis, Wilfork and Vereen will all have fairly significant impacts on the Pats though. But then again, if there's one thing BB has proven, he is great at adapting his game plan to the talent he has. And there are always guys who will take a bit less to play with a proven winner.

 
I like this move for San Diego, assuming the money is reasonable. Johnson didn't get many snaps last season but graded out well, particularly in the slot, so he should be an upgrade on Eddie Royal. He is only 28, and Rivers will be the best QB he has played with by far in his NFL career to date.

This also means the Chargers now have Allen, Floyd, Johnson, Inman, and Jones at WR, so they don't need to spend a draft pick on a WR, which is good since they have so many holes to fill.
means they are more likely to draft a RB early IMO

 
Seems like Allen and Stevie aren't all that different in terms of possession-type receivers. Seems like they will still need a stretch the field guy if Floyd begins to slow down - he's no spring chicken.

 
Stevie is a very good NFL WR, probably underappreciated by the fantasy community due to his situation for the last few years. It is kind of hard to project him, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him as a fantasy WR2. Too risky to draft him as such right now, though.

 
Three years, $10.5 million. Can earn another $1.5 million in incentives. Not sure on guaranteed money.

 
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I like this move for San Diego, assuming the money is reasonable. Johnson didn't get many snaps last season but graded out well, particularly in the slot, so he should be an upgrade on Eddie Royal. He is only 28, and Rivers will be the best QB he has played with by far in his NFL career to date.

This also means the Chargers now have Allen, Floyd, Johnson, Inman, and Jones at WR, so they don't need to spend a draft pick on a WR, which is good since they have so many holes to fill.
inman had a good game last year but come on. Floyd has some fits and spurts in him but what really are you hoping for from him? Jones is a special teamer who plays receiver. stevie and allen might be ok but there's no question the chargers could still use an upgrade. Not saying it's their only priority but it has to be on the list.
My view:

1. Allen will be back, hopefully healthier, and hopefully closer to 2013 form than 2014 form.

2. Floyd will likely be back.* Floyd has been quite underrated for years, he is much better than his numbers indicate, unless you look at advanced metrics. He is also a veteran with long running synergy with Rivers.

3. Johnson is an upgrade over Royal.

4. Inman's playing time was limited last year, but he flashed late, and I think there is solid potential there. It seems reasonable that he may be improved with a year of NFL experience.

5. Jones should be the #5 and hopefully won't see many WR snaps. But worst case, he is a wash with last year's #5, Ajirotutu. More likely, he is at least a marginal upgrade, if only because he is a better deep threat.

6. As someone else pointed out, technically Ladarius Green could (and many would argue should) take some WR snaps since he is languishing behind Gates.

I don't see the Chargers carrying 6 WRs on the active roster, and they just signed Johnson and Jones, so they are safe, and Allen is obviously also safe. Given Inman's potential and low salary, he would seem likely to be safe as well. So if the Chargers drafted a WR, in order for that WR to make the roster, it would likely mean releasing Floyd. I gave Floyd an asterisk, because his cap number is fairly high -- $4.7M. That makes this at least a possible scenario. However, I expect he will make the final roster, partly because he is actually a better WR than most realize, as I noted above.

The other reason is because the Chargers roster is absolutely riddled with holes. They still need to add OL despite resigning Dunlap and signing Franklin. They desperately need a quality NT, and they could also use more DL depth beyond that. They have lost their top 2 OLBs from last season (Freeney and Jarrett Johnson), ILB Gachkar just signed with Dallas, and they released LB Walker; meanwhile, Butler has been a huge bust. So they need LB help. They resigned Flowers and signed Miami DB Wilson, but they are still down two DBs from last year's roster and need more help there. They only have Oliver, Donald Brown, and Woodhead at RB, so they need another player there.

Finally, like some other great QBs, Rivers has proven that he can get it done with no name WRs over the years.

Given all that, IMO there is no way they should consider spending a draft pick on WR after signing Johnson, unless an incredible value falls to them.

 
Good post. I agree that they should be better than last year (although we'll see how gates holds up because i'm not sold on green at all).

I just think they could really benefit from a top end receiving option. They haven't had one of those since vjax left and the team has suffered for it imo.

 
He had some good years with Fitzpatrick in Buffalo. If he develops some chemistry with Rivers he could have a nice year. Odd to say but this is better than being in NE where he would be lower on the totem pole of mouths to feed.

 
This is a nice signing for the Chargers. As someone else pointed out, Stevie only saw limited playing time as a 49er behind incumbents Boldin and Crabtree, but if you look at his stat line, he did really well for only 50 targets from a mediocre passing QB. Eddie Royal is vacating 91 targets. I'd think Stevie would command more than Royal, but I could be wrong. He should be a decent red zone threat as Gates is phased out. I agree with the person who mentioned a WR2 upside. I'm not saying it is probable, but it is definitely possible. Keenan Allen didn't exactly impress as a WR1 last year and Floyd has always been a complementary player. It shouldn't shock anyone if Stevie gets 100-110 targets and catches 65-70 passes.

 
Stevie Johnson, San Diego Chargers strike contract
In San Diego, Johnson had the clearest path to a No. 2 receiver role. After the Chargers lost Eddie Royal to the Chicago Bears they needed a running mate for Keenan Allen.

Johnson had three 1,000-yard seasons from 2010 to 2012 before struggling with new, young signal-callers the past two years.

As an elusive route-runner well fitted for the option-game, Johnson can give press-coverage cornerback fits. However, his unique style also makes it difficult to create chemistry with quarterbacks. Philip Rivers represents far and away the best quarterback Johnson has played with in his entire seven-year career.
 
My only concern would be that these guys could canbalize each other's opportunities. Between Floyd, Stevie, Allen and Gates, I can see these guys all finishing in the 600-800 yard range.

 
My only concern would be that these guys could canbalize each other's opportunities. Between Floyd, Stevie, Allen and Gates, I can see these guys all finishing in the 600-800 yard range.
That would not be dissimilar to last year. The top 4 receivers ranged between 856-778, totaling 29 TDs. I don't expect a repeat of Gates' 821/12 stat line at age 35, so that leaves some serious points for someone. My guess is Stevie. Also worth noting, last year was a career year for Malcom Floyd (and only the second time in his career to play all 16 games), so he's unlikely to repeat his 856/6 stat line at age 34. So unless you think Rivers is going to have a bad year, you should be taking a cheap flyer on Stevie and possibly snagging Allen if the price is right. Not sure where his ADP will be after last year's disappointing numbers.

 
My only concern would be that these guys could canbalize each other's opportunities. Between Floyd, Stevie, Allen and Gates, I can see these guys all finishing in the 600-800 yard range.
That would not be dissimilar to last year. The top 4 receivers ranged between 856-778, totaling 29 TDs. I don't expect a repeat of Gates' 821/12 stat line at age 35, so that leaves some serious points for someone. My guess is Stevie. Also worth noting, last year was a career year for Malcom Floyd (and only the second time in his career to play all 16 games), so he's unlikely to repeat his 856/6 stat line at age 34. So unless you think Rivers is going to have a bad year, you should be taking a cheap flyer on Stevie and possibly snagging Allen if the price is right. Not sure where his ADP will be after last year's disappointing numbers.
Last year wasn't a career year for Floyd. Consider:

2014: 52/856/6 in 16 games

2013: injured but had 6/149/0 in 2 games

2012: 56/814/5 in 14 games -- scales to 64/930/6 over 16 games

2011: 43/856/5 in 12 games -- scales to 57/1141/7 over 16 games

2010: 37/717/6 in 11 games -- scales to 54/1043/9 over 16 games

His problem has been staying healthy, but he has actually been a strong performer on the field for years. Also, don't take his 2014 performance in 16 games compared to the scaled numbers from previous seasons to mean he is slowing down... those previous seasons were all in Norv's vertical offense. 2014 was the first season he played in McCoy's offense, and he had a career high 92 targets.

Having said that, he is 34 and has had issues staying on the field, so it would surprise no one if he misses some games, in which case of course his numbers will be reduced.

Also, you mention that Gates will not likely repeat his 2014 performance but ignore the possibility that Green will be the guy to make up the difference.

It is also true that the Chargers should have an improved run blocking OL in 2015. That could indicate a reduction in pass attempts next season, meaning fewer targets to go around. In 2013, they had 544 pass attempts and 486 rushing attempts. In 2014, they had 574 and 398, respectively. The difference was driven by heavy OL and RB injuries, not by a desire on McCoy's part to shift to more passing.

IMO Stevie's fantasy value will be limited unless there are some significant injuries.

 
My only concern would be that these guys could canbalize each other's opportunities. Between Floyd, Stevie, Allen and Gates, I can see these guys all finishing in the 600-800 yard range.
That would not be dissimilar to last year. The top 4 receivers ranged between 856-778, totaling 29 TDs. I don't expect a repeat of Gates' 821/12 stat line at age 35, so that leaves some serious points for someone. My guess is Stevie. Also worth noting, last year was a career year for Malcom Floyd (and only the second time in his career to play all 16 games), so he's unlikely to repeat his 856/6 stat line at age 34. So unless you think Rivers is going to have a bad year, you should be taking a cheap flyer on Stevie and possibly snagging Allen if the price is right. Not sure where his ADP will be after last year's disappointing numbers.
Last year wasn't a career year for Floyd. Consider:

2014: 52/856/6 in 16 games

2013: injured but had 6/149/0 in 2 games

2012: 56/814/5 in 14 games -- scales to 64/930/6 over 16 games

2011: 43/856/5 in 12 games -- scales to 57/1141/7 over 16 games

2010: 37/717/6 in 11 games -- scales to 54/1043/9 over 16 games

His problem has been staying healthy, but he has actually been a strong performer on the field for years. Also, don't take his 2014 performance in 16 games compared to the scaled numbers from previous seasons to mean he is slowing down... those previous seasons were all in Norv's vertical offense. 2014 was the first season he played in McCoy's offense, and he had a career high 92 targets.

Having said that, he is 34 and has had issues staying on the field, so it would surprise no one if he misses some games, in which case of course his numbers will be reduced.

Also, you mention that Gates will not likely repeat his 2014 performance but ignore the possibility that Green will be the guy to make up the difference.

It is also true that the Chargers should have an improved run blocking OL in 2015. That could indicate a reduction in pass attempts next season, meaning fewer targets to go around. In 2013, they had 544 pass attempts and 486 rushing attempts. In 2014, they had 574 and 398, respectively. The difference was driven by heavy OL and RB injuries, not by a desire on McCoy's part to shift to more passing.

IMO Stevie's fantasy value will be limited unless there are some significant injuries.
I'm a big fan of Green, but for whatever reason the coaching staff continues to fail to utilize him. They talked him up last offseason and he saw, what, like 25 targets all year?? So yeah, I'm sticking with the trend. If they pull their heads out, then I expect his production will come at Gates' expense. I'm very excited to see Green in another uniform in 2016.

And yes, last year was a career year for Floyd. He tied his career highs in yards and TDs. I didn't say it was a career high in fantasy ppg, but if his career was on a Topps baseball card, those numbers would be italicized. Regardless, he's 34. I'm not proclaiming him dead, but I can't imagine he improves upon those numbers in the same system. I also mentioned the injuries. If I was a betting man, I would bet that Floyd misses several games in 2015. But again, even if he plays 16 games, hit totals are very unlikely to increase.

The improved line should lead to improved passing numbers in general. Sure, they passed more times last year, but they passed for less yards and TDs than the year before. So your argument is rather moot. Also, let's not forget that SD has crap at RB right now. At this point a rookie or 4th tier FA would be an improvement.

Rivers was able to make Eddie Royal a relevant fantasy play. Stevie is a much better WR than you seem to be giving him credit for. The cream will rise to the top and I expect Stevie to be 2nd on the team in targets by year end and I honestly wouldn't be shocked if he led the team. Keenan wasn't exactly impressive last year and Stevie can play outside or slot receiver. He's not a burner, but he's pretty versatile. Probably handles press coverage much better than Allen.

 
My only concern would be that these guys could canbalize each other's opportunities. Between Floyd, Stevie, Allen and Gates, I can see these guys all finishing in the 600-800 yard range.
That would not be dissimilar to last year. The top 4 receivers ranged between 856-778, totaling 29 TDs. I don't expect a repeat of Gates' 821/12 stat line at age 35, so that leaves some serious points for someone. My guess is Stevie. Also worth noting, last year was a career year for Malcom Floyd (and only the second time in his career to play all 16 games), so he's unlikely to repeat his 856/6 stat line at age 34. So unless you think Rivers is going to have a bad year, you should be taking a cheap flyer on Stevie and possibly snagging Allen if the price is right. Not sure where his ADP will be after last year's disappointing numbers.
Last year wasn't a career year for Floyd. Consider:

2014: 52/856/6 in 16 games

2013: injured but had 6/149/0 in 2 games

2012: 56/814/5 in 14 games -- scales to 64/930/6 over 16 games

2011: 43/856/5 in 12 games -- scales to 57/1141/7 over 16 games

2010: 37/717/6 in 11 games -- scales to 54/1043/9 over 16 games

His problem has been staying healthy, but he has actually been a strong performer on the field for years. Also, don't take his 2014 performance in 16 games compared to the scaled numbers from previous seasons to mean he is slowing down... those previous seasons were all in Norv's vertical offense. 2014 was the first season he played in McCoy's offense, and he had a career high 92 targets.

Having said that, he is 34 and has had issues staying on the field, so it would surprise no one if he misses some games, in which case of course his numbers will be reduced.

Also, you mention that Gates will not likely repeat his 2014 performance but ignore the possibility that Green will be the guy to make up the difference.

It is also true that the Chargers should have an improved run blocking OL in 2015. That could indicate a reduction in pass attempts next season, meaning fewer targets to go around. In 2013, they had 544 pass attempts and 486 rushing attempts. In 2014, they had 574 and 398, respectively. The difference was driven by heavy OL and RB injuries, not by a desire on McCoy's part to shift to more passing.

IMO Stevie's fantasy value will be limited unless there are some significant injuries.
I'm a big fan of Green, but for whatever reason the coaching staff continues to fail to utilize him. They talked him up last offseason and he saw, what, like 25 targets all year?? So yeah, I'm sticking with the trend. If they pull their heads out, then I expect his production will come at Gates' expense. I'm very excited to see Green in another uniform in 2016.

And yes, last year was a career year for Floyd. He tied his career highs in yards and TDs. I didn't say it was a career high in fantasy ppg, but if his career was on a Topps baseball card, those numbers would be italicized. Regardless, he's 34. I'm not proclaiming him dead, but I can't imagine he improves upon those numbers in the same system. I also mentioned the injuries. If I was a betting man, I would bet that Floyd misses several games in 2015. But again, even if he plays 16 games, hit totals are very unlikely to increase.

The improved line should lead to improved passing numbers in general. Sure, they passed more times last year, but they passed for less yards and TDs than the year before. So your argument is rather moot. Also, let's not forget that SD has crap at RB right now. At this point a rookie or 4th tier FA would be an improvement.

Rivers was able to make Eddie Royal a relevant fantasy play. Stevie is a much better WR than you seem to be giving him credit for. The cream will rise to the top and I expect Stevie to be 2nd on the team in targets by year end and I honestly wouldn't be shocked if he led the team. Keenan wasn't exactly impressive last year and Stevie can play outside or slot receiver. He's not a burner, but he's pretty versatile. Probably handles press coverage much better than Allen.
Maybe you missed my first post in the thread, in which I praised Johnson and this signing. I agree he is a good NFL WR. I just don't think the situation is conducive for him to be valuable in fantasy football.

Sure, he could be second on the team in targets. But that doesn't have to mean much. For example, here is a possible scenario, assuming some minor injuries but nothing major:

560 attempts

WR Allen 120 targets (121 in 14 games in 2014)

TE Gates 90 targets (98 in 16 games in 2014)

WR Johnson 90 targets (Royal 91 in 16 games in 2014)

WR Floyd 80 targets (92 in 16 games in 2014)

RB Woodhead 70 targets (88 in 16 games in 2013)

TE Green 30 targets (25 in 14 games in 2014)

WR Inman 25 targets (17 in 7 games in 2014)

WR Jones 15 targets (Ajirotutu 12 in 16 games in 2014)

Other RBs 40 targets (all RBs totaled 109 targets in 2014)

Last year in SF, Johnson had 35/435/3 on 50 targets. He played well and graded out well to get that performance on 50 targets. So let's say we double his targets and double that performance. That brings you to 870 yards and 6 TDs, roughly what Floyd had last year.

That's what I meant when I said Johnson's fantasy value will be limited unless there are significant injuries. But you mentioned that you saw Royal as a relevant fantasy play with Rivers, so maybe we are just having a semantics disagreement.

 
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I read the whole thread, but forgot or didn't associate your earlier post with you, I suppose.

If Stevie ends up with 70/870/6, I suspect he'll have drastically outperformed his ADP. But his ADP greatly impacts my actual fantasy interest in him this season. If he's getting drafted 35th (positionally), I will likely pass. I think those numbers (870/6) are pretty reasonable for him, and his decent floor/likely production is part of what makes him a nice flyer. I suspect there will be at least one player with 1000 yards and one player with 10+ TDs on this team next year. Stevie isn't the odds on favorite for either of those, but I think there's a decent chance he ends up with one or the other. I'll list my reasons why:

-Rivers is very likely to throw for 4200-4700 yards and 30+ TDs

-Floyd has only played 16 games twice in his career and is 34 years old

-Gates has his own injury history and is 35 years old; also looks slow

-The coaches seem to hate Ladarius Green for unknown reasons, even though he might be the most talented receiver on the team

-Allen followed up a promising rookie year with a dud; he won't get 122 targets again if they have a more productive option on the team

-Stevie is only 28 and has been a WR1 before, posting 3 straight 1000 yard seasons with a mediocre QB; he's been fairly durable throughout his career (although I recall a nagging groin injury in Buf)

-The RBs are currently crap

So I think Stevie presents a WR4 floor with a WR2 upside that I imagine can be had for a WR5/6 price tag. That's what makes him fantasy relevant in my book. I'm hoping Green's ADP craps out after last season's disappointment and I can snag them both late. I expect one of the two of those guys to be a major steal, because as mentioned earlier, there is a lot of production up for grabs in this offense.

FWIW, Royal was at one point a hot WW pickup and was in a lot of people's starting lineups last year, which by definition, makes him fantasy relevant.

You follow the Chargers more closely than I, so maybe you can shed some light on Allen's crappy season. I owned him in zero leagues last year so I didn't follow his season very well, but looking back at his stats, his drop in YPR is quite worrisome. Makes me want to hypothesize that his rookie year maybe people were just underestimating him, but when coverage was shifted he was easy to shut down. Touchdown fluctuations don't worry me, but his decreased catch rate and YPR do. Any insight would be appreciated.

 
^Good post. I can't really shed much light on Allen's 2014 season, but it was probably a combination of several things:

1. He opened the season with a couple challenging matchups (Peterson, Sherman) and was also shut down in another game by Revis.

2. He ended the season by missing two games due to a broken collarbone.

3. Rivers played hurt in the second half and was less effective.

4. The Chargers dealt with an unusually high number of OL injuries, especially at center, where they played 4 players at least 137 snaps, none of them 1st string center Hardwick, who was last for the season after just 16 snaps.

5. The Chargers had a similar run of injuries at RB, with serious injuries to Mathews, Woodhead, and Donald Brown. So they never had an effective running game to take pressure off the passing game.

6. Gates, Floyd, and Royal all stayed healthy and played well.

I expect the OL and RBs to be better and healthier this year. That, in turn, should keep Rivers healthier. Those things plus the motivation to bounce back from a disappointing second season should lead to a better year for Allen.

 
Johnson figured to run most of his routes from the slot with or without Gates. I thought this blurb was little more than another illustration of how slow a news period this is. Stevie has value at his current ADP (or lack thereof) and it gets a brief nudge up with Gates' suspension. I'm just unconvinced he's a major beneficiary of Gates being out.
 
Rotoworld:

The Chargers' official website confirms Stevie Johnson will play both in the slot and outside.

The stars are aligning for Johnson, who was a misfit in San Francisco but is set for a major role in San Diego. He'll fill the inside Eddie Royal role while also threatening to take outside snaps from a guy on the brink of retirement (Malcom Floyd). The four-game Antonio Gates suspension only opens up more opportunity for Johnson, one of our favorite late-round wideout targets.

Source: chargers.com
Jul 20 - 7:15 AM
 
I like this move for San Diego, assuming the money is reasonable. Johnson didn't get many snaps last season but graded out well, particularly in the slot, so he should be an upgrade on Eddie Royal. He is only 28, and Rivers will be the best QB he has played with by far in his NFL career to date.

This also means the Chargers now have Allen, Floyd, Johnson, Inman, and Jones at WR, so they don't need to spend a draft pick on a WR, which is good since they have so many holes to fill.
inman had a good game last year but come on. Floyd has some fits and spurts in him but what really are you hoping for from him? Jones is a special teamer who plays receiver. stevie and allen might be ok but there's no question the chargers could still use an upgrade. Not saying it's their only priority but it has to be on the list.
My view:

1. Allen will be back, hopefully healthier, and hopefully closer to 2013 form than 2014 form.

2. Floyd will likely be back.* Floyd has been quite underrated for years, he is much better than his numbers indicate, unless you look at advanced metrics. He is also a veteran with long running synergy with Rivers.

3. Johnson is an upgrade over Royal.

4. Inman's playing time was limited last year, but he flashed late, and I think there is solid potential there. It seems reasonable that he may be improved with a year of NFL experience.

5. Jones should be the #5 and hopefully won't see many WR snaps. But worst case, he is a wash with last year's #5, Ajirotutu. More likely, he is at least a marginal upgrade, if only because he is a better deep threat.

6. As someone else pointed out, technically Ladarius Green could (and many would argue should) take some WR snaps since he is languishing behind Gates.

I don't see the Chargers carrying 6 WRs on the active roster, and they just signed Johnson and Jones, so they are safe, and Allen is obviously also safe. Given Inman's potential and low salary, he would seem likely to be safe as well. So if the Chargers drafted a WR, in order for that WR to make the roster, it would likely mean releasing Floyd. I gave Floyd an asterisk, because his cap number is fairly high -- $4.7M. That makes this at least a possible scenario. However, I expect he will make the final roster, partly because he is actually a better WR than most realize, as I noted above.

The other reason is because the Chargers roster is absolutely riddled with holes. They still need to add OL despite resigning Dunlap and signing Franklin. They desperately need a quality NT, and they could also use more DL depth beyond that. They have lost their top 2 OLBs from last season (Freeney and Jarrett Johnson), ILB Gachkar just signed with Dallas, and they released LB Walker; meanwhile, Butler has been a huge bust. So they need LB help. They resigned Flowers and signed Miami DB Wilson, but they are still down two DBs from last year's roster and need more help there. They only have Oliver, Donald Brown, and Woodhead at RB, so they need another player there.

Finally, like some other great QBs, Rivers has proven that he can get it done with no name WRs over the years.

Given all that, IMO there is no way they should consider spending a draft pick on WR after signing Johnson, unless an incredible value falls to them.
Those are some ugly WRs.

 
Rotoworld:

The Union-Tribune singled out Stevie Johnson as a player building rapport with Philip Rivers early in camp.

Johnson's herky-jerky route running can be an issue for some quarterbacks, but shouldn't be a problem for the savvy Rivers. With Eddie Royal gone, Antonio Gates suspended and Malcom Floyd on the verge of retirement, there's plenty of opportunity here. Johnson's current ADP is around the 12th round.

Source: Union-Tribune San Diego

Aug 3 - 7:52 AM
 
Rotoworld:

Philip Rivers pinpointed Stevie Johnson as a player he's "most excited about" this season.

"He's off to a heck of a start," said Rivers. "If you asked me one guy who I was most excited about, I'd probably single out him." Johnson will play the old Eddie Royal role -- where Royal saw 91 targets last season -- and is very arguably a talent upgrade. With Antonio Gates suspended the first four games, Johnson is a sleeper to lead San Diego receiving in the season's first month.

Source: Michael Gehlken on Twitter
 
one nice thing about rivers is that he will get radar lock on some guys and maybe stevie nicks johnsonville brats will be this years recipient of the radar lock award from the old gunslinger phil macracken whitewater river take that to the bank brohans

 
Rotoworld:

Philip Rivers is hopeful that Stevie Johnson and Keenan Allen can become "interchangeable" this season.

Johnson and Allen have similar skills as short-to-intermediate possession-type receivers who win with quicks and crisp routes. "The versatility of Keenan and Stevie, if we get to where they're interchangeable from slot to outside and we can move them around, it's going to be huge for us," Rivers said. We like Johnson's chances of crushing his current late-round fantasy ADP.

Source: Union-Tribune San Diego
Aug 6 - 11:34 PM
 
Rotoworld:

Live at Chargers camp, CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reports "people around here are thinking Stevie Johnson could do big things in this offense.

Particularly in the first four games -- with Antonio Gates on suspension -- Johnson will be a candidate for seven-plus targets per game. La Canfora reports Johnson and Philip Rivers are already "simpatico," and that Johnson "will be an integral moving part who could line up in the slot, out wide, wherever."

Source: CBS Sports
Aug 12 - 2:36 PM
 

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