Chargers Rookie WR Tre Harris Fantasy Football Stock Rising

Williams brought a veteran presence to the Chargers’ offense. Having already played for the team and with quarterback Justin Herbert, it made sense to bring him back. With Williams now gone, another receiver will have to step up. That could be Tre Harris.

Tre Harris Fantasy Stock Rises

Harris heads into his first training camp with less competition for snaps and targets. Drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft, Harris has the talent to establish himself as a top target for Justin Herbert this year. Harris’s direct competition for targets and snaps in two wide receiver sets will be former 2023 first-round pick Quentin Johnston. Johnston managed to show some improvement from his rookie season last year. Jumping from 431 receiving yards to 711 in 2024 while piling on eight touchdowns is a good mark. However, the drops continued to plague Johnston. Johnston had seven drops last year, resulting in a 7.7% drop rate. That isn’t great when you are being looked at as an outside option on the field.

There are already reports out that Johnston won’t get many chances to prove himself this season. Not only did the Chargers draft Harris with the second-round pick, but they also drafted Keandre Lambert-Smith in the fifth. With the combination of Harris, Williams before retiring, and Lambert-Smith all playing on the outside, competition was going to be tight. With Williams gone, Johnston will have to compete with Harris for the top spot behind Ladd McConkey.

Harris’s ability to play on the outside will be a key asset for helping the Chargers’ offense. The Chargers threw the fifth fewest passes in the NFL last season at 510, and McConkey led all Chargers receivers in targets with 112. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman will want to run the ball more this season to help Herbert out. The reality is that Herbert will still need to throw the ball to someone whenecessaryry.

Tre Harris Fantasy Outlook

If Harris can beat out Quentin Johnston as the WR2, he has a clear path for fantasy relevancy in his rookie season. The Chargers lost Joshua Palmer during free agency, which freed up 65 targets. Last season, Johnston finished second among the Chargers’ receivers with 91 targets. Harris would assume at least Johnston’s target share if he emerges as the WR2. He could even take more of Palmer’s share of targets to boost his value. Harris would also see added snaps on the field as the number two receiver. Last season, Johnston averaged 43.7 snaps per game. That comes out to a 61.5% snap share, which was good enough for second on the team behind McConkey.

Another positive for Harris would be his usage in the red zone. Johnston saw 12 targets inside the 20 and completed 58.3% of his catches. He caught four of his eight touchdowns inside the 20. With Harris coming off the draft boards as the WR56, he presents significant upside heading into the regular season. McConkey is still going to be the top wide receiver for Herbert and fantasy managers. But it’s always good to know other options are available once the top names are gone.

Harris is a late-round target fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on during training camp. The Chargers could still add another veteran wide receiver. If they stand pat, Harris will have to seize the opportunity to showcase what he can do during training camp.