Justin Herbert

Week 7 at Arizona Cardinals

It took six weeks, but Justin Herbert finally broke 200 yards passing! Not at all what you want to hear about your fantasy quarterback, but we have to take the little wins when we can with this passing game. Herbert set season highs in attempts, completions, and yards against a banged-up Broncos defense.

If you have any faith in the passing game, this is a solid matchup for Herbert. Unfortunately, if 237 yards is the ceiling, it's tough to count on even against the 22nd defense aFPA against quarterbacks. There are worse options in superflex, but in standard leagues it's just too tough to trust Herbert.

Week 2 at Carolina Panthers

What we saw last week against the Raiders is, sadly, about what we should come to expect from Justin Herbert in this Jim Harbaugh/Greg Roman. He'll be pretty efficient, spread the ball around, and won't have a ton of attempts, even when trailing into the middle of the third quarter.

Herbert gets the Panthers this week who let Derek Carr throw for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns in basically a half before turning into a run-heavy offense in the second half. That sounds about right for Herbert, but probably doesn't sound great for your fantasy team. Herbert is a back-end QB2 this week and should only be started in Superflex leagues.

Fantasy Upside
It's tough to look at the new coaching staff in Los Angeles and feel great about Justin Herbert, but it's possible the efficiency of the offense is enough to carry him to a fantasy-viable season. As John Paulsen pointed out, he's finished the last two seasons as a QB which is about his ceiling now. When healthy, he's a top-5 talent at quarterback so the only question is if Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman keep the Ferrari in the garage or let him loose.

Fantasy Downside
As great as it is to hope for better efficiency, Herbert is unfortunately in what could be the run-heaviest offense in the league. Harbaugh and Roman are going to run the football and then run it some more. Herbert also lost his top four options in the passing game as all of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler, and Gerald Everett have moved on. Josh Palmer has proven capable, but the same cannot be said for Quentin Johnston or DJ Chark. A lot will be riding on the shoulders of rookie WR Ladd McConkey out of Georgia this season. Losing most of the training camp to a plantar fascia injury isn't ideal either and while the expectation is he'll be ready for Week 1, we'll have to wait and see.

2024 Bottom Line
While Herbert will be in a boot for a few weeks with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot, he should be ready for Week 1. With that in mind, Herbert is in a run-heavy offense without many premier options to run the ball. Will a strong offensive line and scheme keep the Chargers on schedule? Or will Herbert and his underwhelming weapons have to carry more of the load than we are expecting? On Underdog, Herbert is coming off the board 136th overall at QB17, which seems fine for best ball. In redraft leagues, he will be going higher than that and that is where fading him is probably a better option.