Who Should I Start? Quentin Johnston or Ricky Pearsall

Sunday, July 13, 11:12 AM

The Athletic's Daniel Popper doesn't think the Los Angeles Chargers' coaching staff will give wide receiver Quentin Johnston too many chances to prove himself as a starter during training camp this summer. The first-rounder in 2023 is going to have to earn his chances, especially after the team added Tre Harris in the second round in April and reunited with Mike Williams in free agency. L.A. also took wideout DeAndre Lambert-Smith in the fifth round, and Harris, Williams and Lambert-Smith all primarily play on the outside, which is also where Johnston plays. Johnston improved from Year 1 to Year 2, but he still had frustrating moments, and drops remain an issue. Receiver is going to be a highly competitive position in training camp, so Johnston is really going to have to perform in order to retain a starting position in three-wide sets for the Chargers in 2025.

Tuesday, June 10, 9:22 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (hamstring) was healthy to take part in mandatory minicamp this week, but the team is being careful with him and want him to be ready for training camp in late July. It makes sense for the Niners to play it safe with the former first-rounder since fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk (knee) likely won't be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season. If the 24-year-old can return in training camp and develop chemistry with quarterback Brock Purdy, he'll have plenty of opportunity as a starter in three-wide sets in his sophomore season in the NFL. Pearsall missed the first six games of his rookie season after being shot in the chest, but he was more involved late in the year with Aiyuk out. If healthy, he should make much more noise in 2025. RotoBaller has Pearsall ranked as the No. 45 fantasy wideout.