Who Should I Start? Quentin Johnston or Rashid Shaheed

Thursday, August 21, 6:32 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston (concussion), who suffered a scary-looking concussion in the team's second preseason game last Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams, was back at practice on Thursday, according to Kris Rhim of ESPN.com. While the 23-year-old might not be completely cleared from the league's concussion protocol, the fact that he's back on the field is a good sign that he should gain full clearance to be active for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Friday, Sept. 5, against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil. Johnston should go undrafted in standard 12-team fantasy leagues this fall. The former 21st overall pick in 2023 out of TCU did improve with a 55-711-8 line in 15 regular-season games (11 starts) in 2024, but he continues to struggle with drops and is fighting for the WR3 role with rookie Tre' Harris behind Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen.

Wednesday, July 30, 11:10 AM

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed is playing through physical coverage in training camp practices so far, according to Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports. Nowak notes that this has been a clear area of improvement for the fourth-year receiver since he entered the league in 2022. Once known exclusively as a downfield deep-ball threat, Shaheed was showing signs of becoming a more complete receiver in 2024 before tearing his meniscus in Week 6 and missing the remainder of the season. In the six games he played, Shaheed caught 20 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns, averaging an impressive 2.25 yards-per-route-run. The Saints' question marks at quarterback hold down his fantasy value, but Shaheed is an intriguing late-round dart throw who could be on the verge of a breakout in his age-27 season.