Stevie Johnson

A hamstring injury cost Johnson six games, and the 10 he played were nothing about which to write home. Johnson averaged 11.0 YPC and 7.6 YPT, despite getting a significant QB upgrade in Philip Rivers. Johnson had 65 targets, only seven of which went for 20-plus yards and none for 40-plus. He saw 10 looks in the red zone, a good number given modest volume, but scored only three times. At 6-2, 207, the 30-year-old Johnson was never fast (4.59 40), and he's not as quick as he once was, either. Nonetheless, he's in a good spot as the No. 3 WR and slot man. Keenan Allen, who's had trouble staying healthy, is the team's top target, and newly-acquired Travis Benjamin was brought in to stretch the field. But between Allen's injury history and 36-year-old TE Antonio Gates' odometer, Johnson could have a fairly prominent role.

Johnson landed in a good spot with San Diego. While Keenan Allen is the team's No. 1 receiver, and Antonio Gates its leading target in the red zone, Gates is 35 and No. 2 wideout Malcom Floyd, who will turn 34 in September, has played full seasons only twice in his career. Beyond them, the Chargers don't have much pass-catching depth, as return man Jacoby Jones and journeyman Austin Pettis are unlikely to push the starters for targets. Tight end Ladarius Green has potential but isn't likely to see a big role barring an injury to Gates. At 6-2, 207, and with good quickness despite an unimpressive 4.59 Combine time, Johnson can take over the slot duties vacated by Eddie Royal (62-778-7) or play outside. Either way, he should have a significant role while playing with far and away the best quarterback of his career in Philip Rivers.

Traded to the 49ers during the NFL draft for a fourth-round pick, Johnson went from top dog in Buffalo to third fiddle in San Francisco. And that’s not counting tight end Vernon Davis. That said, Johnson will likely man the slot where his quickness and burst make him a tough cover. At 6-2, 207 Johnson also has good size, though red-zone looks will be hard to come by with Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin and Davis around. Bottom line, he’s a good fit for the 49ers, but the number of mouths to feed in the offense cap Johnson’s ceiling.

If you want a steady 75-1000-6, look no further. Johnson's eclipsed those numbers the last three seasons, all of them with average-at-best quarterbacking. Unfortunately, unless EJ Manuel is a quick study, that condition will probably persist. At 6-2, 207, Johnson’s got good size and a lot of quickness. He's not a major deep threat, but he does have eight catches of 40-plus the last three years. Johnson saw a good amount of red-zone work the last two years (35 targets in 32 games), but he's by no means an ideal target there. Heading into this year, he's still the team's undisputed No. 1 WR, but with Ryan Fitzpatrick gone and two new signal callers (Manuel and Kevin Kolb) in camp, the passing-game chemistry will likely require development. The Bills also drafted Robert Woods in the second round to add another weapon, but he's not a threat to Johnson's status out of the gate. Johnson fractured his L-5 vertebra in March and was dealing with a nagging ankle injury during June minicamps, but is expected to be 100 percent healthy for the start of training camp.

After emerging from nowhere in 2010, Johnson posted nearly identical numbers last year save for a slight drop in touchdowns. Johnson wasn’t particularly efficient with 7.5 YPT (24th) and 13.2 YPC, but he did get loose for four plays of 40-plus yards and got into the end zone seven times, thanks in large part to consistent red-zone work (19 targets, tied for 6th). At 6-2, 207, Johnson’s got good size and a lot of quickness in open space – he even shook Darrelle Revis for a touchdown in Week 12. Johnson’s not especially fast, but he has good hands (just four drops on 134 targets) and more importantly has the trust of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. He also apparently has the trust of the Bills, who signed him to a five-year deal with $19.5 million guaranteed. As such, he’s the team’s clear No. 1 receiver and should continue to see a fair amount of work in the red zone. Johnson had minor groin surgery in April, and while it’s not expected to hamper him for Week 1, it could linger into the start of training camp.

Set aside one of the worst dropped passes – a wide open overtime touchdown slipping through his hands – in regular-season NFL history, and Johnson had a pretty good year. While Johnson's per-play numbers (7.6 YPT, 13.1 YPC) were average, he managed double-digit touchdowns, thanks in part to 17 red-zone looks, six of which he hauled in for scores. Johnson's not especially fast, but at 6-2, 203, he's got good size and, the egregious drop notwithstanding, decent hands. He also has fantastic moves in the red zone. More importantly, he looks like Ryan Fitzpatrick's first read, especially from in close, and that makes him a good bet for another 100-plus targets and at least half a dozen scores in 2011. Consider last year his rough ceiling, however, and it might be tough for him to avoid constant double teams following the trade of Lee Evans. That said, Johnson is also a clear-cut No. 1 receiver now.

Judging from practice repetitions during the summer, third-year man Johnson will be giving third-year man James Hardy a strong run for a starting No. 2 receiving job. Lee Evans is locked into the No. 1 spot and the Bills seem to be eying Roscoe Parrish for the No. 3 slot role, so the No. 2 job is about as open as you can get. We'd consider Hardy a slight favorite, followed by Johnson, and after those two rookie Marcus Easley and journeyman Chad Jackson have more of an outside shot to steal the spot. The receiving spots don't seem to hold a lot of fantasy in Buffalo, but Johnson has come along pretty well since being a seventh-rounder in 2008, so he's at least worth having deep on the radar.

Johnson finished the 2008 season -- his rookie year -- with 10 catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Not great numbers for sure, but it was impressive enough that Johnson made the team as a seventh-rounder and carved out a small role in the offense by season's end. He's a late bloomer dating back to his college years at Kentucky, and has good size and good hands. Johnson had a good offseason, and if he can work his way past fellow youngster James Hardy on the depth chart -- which he may have already done -- he's at least worth keeping an eye on. Maybe not this season with Lee Evans, Terrell Owens and Josh Reed being the main guys, but possibly for 2010 when Owens will likely be making headlines elsewhere.

If he makes the roster, Johnson will be behind too many receivers on the depth chart to make a fantasy impact in 2008. There’s a ray of hope for the future though, since he comes equipped with good hands and a large 6-2, 203-pound frame.