Stevie Johnson tore his MCL over the weekend and will undergo surgery. It's not yet clear how long he'll be out, but if you guessed a minimum of 4-6 weeks you probably wouldn't be far off. "We'd love for him to be ready (for the season opener)," said head coach Mike McCoy, which makes it sound like he won't be.
If Johnson does miss extended time, who benefits? There are plenty of candidates. Dontrelle Inman is one possibility; he ended up playing a lot last year due to receiver injuries, and is getting some work with the starters right now.
But the linked article says that second-year wideout Tyrell Williams has been taking some first-team snaps with Johnson out. He also worked with the first team when Travis Benjamin had a hamstring injury earlier in the offseason.
San Diego is apparently kicking the tires on James Jones, which could also be a sign they're not expecting Johnson back any time soon.
A little deeper down the depth chart, those in PPR leagues might have picked up Javontee Herndon late last year. Between Week 11 and Week 15 last year, he had three 5-reception games. Didn't do much with them (those games went for 37, 47 and 35 yards) but he was a functional PPR player.
For now the battle seems to be between Williams and Inman. The real beneficiaries will probably be other receivers -- more targets for Keenan Allen, Travis Benjamin, and maybe the tight ends (Antonio Gates and rookie Hunter Henry).
Sounds like we'll have the entire preseason to see who picks up the extra catches and yards.
--Andy Richardson
