Fantasy managers shouldn't draft Herbert where they did in 2022, but they should absolutely expect Herbert to be better than he was last year. Part of that is because Kellen Moore took over as his offensive coordinator, and that's a big upgrade. Also, the team drafted Quentin Johnston in Round 1, strengthening the Chargers receiving corps. But the biggest reason is regression. Last year Herbert had a 3.6% touchdown rate, compared to a 5.4% rate in the first two years of his career. Last year he averaged 6.8 yards per attempt, compared to 7.4 in his first two years. Those two dips alone cost him a whopping six Fantasy points per game. Draft him as a top-six QB and expect a big bounceback.
Herbert completed 40 of 47 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 28-24 win over the Vikings.
There has been no sign of the Chargers' run-heavy game plan from Week 1 of late, as Herbert topped 40 pass attempts for the second consecutive game. He also topped 400 passing yards for the first time in his career, highlighted by eight completions of at least 20 yards -- one more than he had on the season entering Sunday's contest. New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore promised more downfield passing this offseason, and it certainly appears that he's willing to put games into Herbert's hands.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Tops 300 yards
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Herbert completed 27 of 41 passes for 305 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 27-24 overtime loss to the Titans.
The Chargers were willing to put the offense in Herbert's hands, and he responded with an excellent performance. He completed four passes of 20 or more yards while also tossing touchdowns from eight and 12 yards away, both of which went to Keenan Allen. Herbert's volume was also reassuring, as he was limited to only 33 attempts in Week 1 as the team ran its offense through the ground game. Overall, he has 534 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions across two games this season.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Unable to complete comeback
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Herbert completed 23 of 33 pass attempts for 228 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 36-34 loss to the Dolphins. He also tallied five carries for 18 yards and another score.
Herbert seemed to make every critical throw when it mattered most, but the star quarterback couldn't do much on the team's final possession as the Dolphins sent the house and picked up multiple sacks to end a fourth-quarter comeback attempt. The electric signal caller didn't have to do too much in this contest, as the Chargers rushing attack combined for 234 yards on the ground, though Herbert hardly showed any rust, especially with his longtime target Keenan Allen (6-9-76 yards). He remains a top fantasy QB entering Week 2 against the Titans.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Not likely to play Saturday
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Herbert isn't in line to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Rams, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.
Nearly three weeks after inking a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the Chargers, Herbert unsurprisingly won't put anything on the line in the team's exhibition opener. With the change at offensive coordinator from Joe Lombardi to Kellen Moore, though, L.A. likely will do its due diligence and get the first-team offense some snaps together before Week 1. Herbert's next chance for game action is Sunday, Aug. 20 versus the Saints.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Plans to do 7-on-7 this week
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Herbert (shoulder) plans to participate in 7-on-7 drills this week at OTAs, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.
Herbert underwent surgery on the labrum in his left shoulder following the 2022 campaign and resumed throwing in early May. He's set to take another step forward in his rehab this week, as he'll participate in team drills for the first time this offseason, and he remains on pace to be fully healthy by training camp. A lingering rib issue for Herbert coupled with injuries to Keenan Allen and Mike Williams made for a disappointing 2022 for the Chargers offense, but the quarterback got a new offensive coordinator (Kellen Moore) and a new wideout (Quentin Johnston) this offseason, so there's optimism Herbert can bounce back in 2023.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Throwing at OTAs
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Herbert (shoulder) threw passes to teammates Monday at OTAs, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.
Herbert resumed throwing earlier in May, about 13-to-14 weeks after postseason surgery on the labrum in his left shoulder. He's doing well enough to throw in practice, albeit without any defenders on the field for the first day of OTAs. There's still a chance Herbert misses some reps this spring, but he's well on his way to starting Week 1 and has a couple new faces in town (OC Kellen Moore, WR Quentin Johnston) to help him rebound from a disappointing 2022 in which the QB's touchdown rate (3.6 percent, 25 total) and yards per attempt (6.8) nosedived even with a career high in completion percentage (68.2). The Chargers are counting on their offseason additions to help Herbert rebound to his 2020-21 level -- 7.4 YPA; 308.9 total yards and 2.4 total TDs per game -- or possibly even reacher greater heights. Offensive line depth again looks like a weakness for the Chargers, but they at least have star LT Rashawn Slater coming back from a biceps tear and an elite center in Corey Linsley.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Resumes throwing after surgery
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Herbert (shoulder) threw a football Monday, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Coming off winter surgery on a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Herbert hadn't resumed throwing as of late April. He's throwing now, which doesn't mean he'll be cleared for spring practices but does show he's progressing about as expected. Once he's ready to practice, Herbert will have a new offensive coordinator (Kellen Moore) and rookie first-round wideout (Quentin Johnston) on hand to help him thrive in his fourth NFL season.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Recovery progressing, not throwing
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Herbert's shoulder is roughly 75 percent healed, but he is still a few weeks away from beginning light throwing, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Herbert underwent surgery on his non-throwing shoulder in late January and has been rehabbing since. He may miss OTAs, as the team is likely to play it safe with its franchise quarterback, but there is little concern that he'll be ready for the start of training camp. In the meantime, Herbert and the Chargers have been in talks on a long-term extension.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Heads into postseason on high note
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Herbert completed 25 of 37 passes for 273 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed twice for minus-1 yard in the Chargers' 31-28 loss to the Broncos on Sunday. He also fumbled once but recovered.
Herbert and his fellow first-unit weapons played the majority of the game despite the Chargers' playoff positioning being locked in. The third-year signal-caller hit Keenan Allen and Gerald Everett with scoring tosses from 14 and three yards out, respectively, giving him eight multi-touchdown performances during the regular season. Mike Williams' early exit due to a back injury is naturally a concerning development ahead of Sunday's road wild-card matchup against the Jaguars, however, and certainly could affect Herbert's fantasy outlook for what already lines up as a difficult matchup.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Pair of touchdowns in blowout win
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Herbert completed 21 of 28 passes for 212 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 31-10 win over the Rams.
Herbert and the Chargers moved the ball with ease against the Rams, scoring four total offensive touchdowns. His pair came on tosses of six and three yards in the middle of the third and late fourth quarters, respectively. Herbert managed to throw for multiple touchdowns for the first time in his last four games, and he could have had a bigger game if he hadn't been pulled with a comfortable lead early in the final quarter. It remains to be seen whether Herbert will start the Chargers' Week 18 matchup against the Broncos, which will likely be dependent on whether playoff seeding is at stake.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Sterling effort in win
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Herbert completed 39 of his 51 pass attempts for 367 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 23-17 win over the Dolphins. He also ran four times for eight yards.
While fantasy managers may not be entirely thrilled with the performance, this was among one of the best games of Hebert's career. The 39 completions set a career high while the 367 passing yards were his fourth-most in a contest, but more importantly the third-year pro did it all while constantly maneuvering throughout the pocket, time and again stepping up, around and between pass rushers to create enough time to hit the open receiver. It's hard not to notice this type of outing coming with the trio of Mike Williams, Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler all healthy -- the first time that's occurred since Week 1 -- and it's clear Herbert feels healthy himself after dealing with a severe rib injury since Week 5. Expect the offense to continue humming Week 15 against the Titans.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Tops 300 yards in loss
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Herbert tallied 28 completions on 47 attempts for 335 yards and one touchdown in Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Raiders. He also tallied seven yards on five carries.
The Raiders' fearsome pass rush proved to be an issue for the Chargers all game long, as Herbert struggled to find much rhythm. The star quarterback did complete passes to eight different targets, but the overwhelming majority went to Keenan Allen, Gerald Everett, Austin Ekeler and Joshua Palmer. Los Angeles' erratic defense has essentially made Herbert a consistent top option most weeks, and it shouldn't change in the coming weeks with a number of dangerous teams still left on the schedule.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Excels in loss
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Herbert tallied 23 completions on 30 attempts for 280 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 30-27 loss to the Chiefs. He also carried the ball five times for 17 yards.
Herbert set season highs in completion percentage and yards per completion, but the sterling outing wasn't enough to help the Chargers pull off the win. Sunday marked the first time since Week 7 the third-year signal caller tallied multiple touchdowns in a contest, and not coincidentally Sunday also marked the return of his two top targets in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, although the latter didn't make it through the full game after sustaining an ankle injury. At the moment, Herbert is on pace for career lows in touchdowns and rushing yards, but most of that can be explained away with the injuries to his pass catchers and the rib injury he suffered near the end of September. The Pro Bowl quarterback should be poised for an intriguing stretch with matchups against the porous defenses of the Cardinals, Raiders and Dolphins over the next three weeks.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: QBs to Start
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Herbert is expected to get Keenan Allen (hamstring) and Mike Williams (ankle) back this week, and Herbert needs those reinforcements. It's been rough without his top two receivers since he has scored 16 Fantasy points or less in four of his past five games. Prior to that, Herbert had scored at least 25 Fantasy points in three of his first four outings. Herbert has scored at least 23 Fantasy points in each of his past five meetings with the Chiefs. And Kansas City has allowed all but two quarterbacks (Matt Ryan in Week 3 and Malik Willis in Week 9) to score at least 20 Fantasy points this season. Herbert has top-five upside again this week.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Shut out in second half
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Herbert completed 21 of 35 passes for 196 yards, a touchdown and an interception in Sunday's 22-16 loss to the 49ers. He also ran the ball five times for 22 yards.
Herbert and the Chargers put together a brilliant opening drive that culminated in a wide-open touchdown to DeAndre Carter, but the offense was unable to score another touchdown from that point forward as the 49ers never allowed a big play. The superstar quarterback briefly was forced to leave the game to end the second quarter after taking a crushing hit, but after passing concussion protocols Herbert was allowed to return to the game. Up next is a pivotal divisional matchup against the Chiefs, who allowed Herbert to rack up 334 passing yards in a Week 2 Chargers loss.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Good to go Week 4
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Herbert (ribs) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's game in Houston.
Herbert gutted out the fractured rib cartilage he suffered Week 2 last Sunday against the Jaguars, completing 25 of 45 passes for 297 yards, one touchdown and one interception while playing all 58 snaps on offense. After capping Week 4 prep with back-to-back full practices, his status isn't in question for Sunday, but he will be without Keenan Allen (hamstring) for a third consecutive contest and Jalen Guyton (torn ACL). As a result, wide receivers Mike Williams and Joshua Palmer, running back Austin Ekeler and tight end Gerald Everett figure to be Herbert's top targets this weekend.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Limited practice Wednesday
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Herbert (ribs) was a limited participant during practice Wednesday.
According to Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com, head coach Brandon Staley said that Herbert didn't suffer any setbacks in Sunday's 38-10 loss to the Jaguars, but given that the quarterback played through fractured rib cartilage, it's not a surprise to see his practice reps limited to begin Week 4. Assuming he experiences no new issues with his ribs in the next couple of days, Herbert should start this weekend's game against the Texans, though it's plausible he'll approach the contest with a questionable designation.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Avoids setback in Week 3
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Coach Brandon Staley confirmed Monday that Herbert (ribs) didn't suffer any setbacks in Sunday's 38-10 loss to the Jaguars, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.
Herbert played through the rib injury he suffered in Week 2, and while he looked far from 100 percent against Jacksonville, he emerged from the game no less healthy than when he started. Consequently, Herbert doesn't appear to be at risk of missing any game action moving forward.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Suiting up Sunday
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Herbert (ribs) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.
Also in uniform for the Chargers are fellow QBs Chase Daniel and Easton Stick, but given Herbert is not listed among the team's Week 3 inactives, he's a starting option for the team versus the Jaguars.
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Chargers' Justin Herbert: Week 3 status TBD
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Herbert is expected to make a decision during pregame warm-ups ahead of Sunday's 4:05 ET kickoff about whether to take a pain-killing injection in his fractured rib cartilage in order to try and play against the Jaguars in Week 3, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.
Both Schefter and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network suggest that the QB is pushing to play, but at this stage Herbert profiles as a true game-time decision and fantasy managers considering him in Week 3 lineups are advised to have a contingency plan in mind. If Herbert is unable to start Sunday, Chase Daniel would draw the assignment in his place.
