Justin

Herbert

Herbert’s -0.62 EPA per drop back against Houston was among the worst marks in league history. Not every pick was his fault, but Herbert’s four interceptions were more than he had all season. Coming into the Wild Card Round, he had thrown just one pick over his past 12 games. Under constant duress — Herbert was sacked four times — he was rushed on nearly every drop back. His lone touchdown came on an 86 yard catch and run score by Ladd McConkey. Herbert in 2024 was ninth in passing yards and 12th in passing touchdowns. Only four quarterbacks had a better adjusted yards per attempt. Herbert showed some fantasy-based upside in the last half of the season with the Chargers going pass heavy following a massively run-heavy start to the regular season. He seemed to have good chemistry with rookie McConkey and Quentin Johnston. Herbert will enter 2025 as a decent top-15 fantasy option unless the Chargers use him as a rusher more.

Herbert added 42 yards on four attempts. Nearly all of his rushing output came on a 41-yard scramble that ended less than five yards shy of the end zone. Playing for the No. 5 seed and a chance to face the Texans in the Wild Card Round instead of the Ravens, Herbert made quick work of the Raiders, piling up 17 points in the first half before burying them with another 17 in the second. He routinely made high-quality throws with ease, many of which went to Quentin Johnston. The second-year wideout had a career day, catching 13 passes for 186 yards. Rookie Ladd McConkey also crossed 1,100 yards with 95 on the day. The last time Herbert made the playoffs, LA melted down versus the Jaguars and blew a 27-point lead. Herbert will look to avenge that loss with a win over the Texans next week.

Harbaugh did also say “We’d love to be the fifth seed.” The Steelers are locked in to that seed with a win on Saturday, which happens before Los Angeles plays on Sunday. Harbaugh said “we’ll do what’s best for the team” when asked about resting starters if seeding isn’t at stake. Reading between the lines, we’d say it’s more likely than not that Harbaugh rests the starters in Week 18 if the Steelers win on Saturday night.

Herbert got off to a fast start against a weak Patriots pass rush. He started scoring off by zipping a 23-yard pass to Derius Davis for a touchdown. Ladd McConkey was once again Herbert’s favorite target, as the two connected all day long, including for a pair of touchdowns. Herbert also added three carries for 12 yards as he sat nearly the entire fourth quarter with the Chargers up big. Taylor Heinicke came on in relief, not completing either of his two pass attempts and running once for eight yards. Herbert gave fantasy managers an excellent Week 17 performance as the Chargers locked up a playoff spot. He is a back-end fantasy QB1 for those still in fantasy matchups for Week 18.

The rushing yards were reduced at the end of the game while he was wasting clock at the end of the victory. He also completed a two-point conversation on a spectacular catch by Joshua Palmer. Herbert’s one mistake was a line-drive throw on a ball over the middle that should have had more air underneath it, but outside of that the 26-year-old was strong while finding 10 different receivers in the contest. Herbert’s ankle looked just fine with several solid scrambles, and he now gets to rest until Week 17 against the Patriots

Herbert has played through a myriad of injuries this year and will do so again this week after being upgraded to a full practice on Wednesday. He suffered a thigh contusion and an ankle sprain in Week 14 but played through both issues last week, so his status for Thursday’s game was never at risk. Herbert sits on the QB1/2 border for a tough matchup with a tough Denver defense this week.

Herbert was listed as a limited participant Monday and was limited again Tuesday. He played through the ankle injury for Week 15 and the Chargers seem to be managing Herbert’s workload on a short week ahead of Thursday’s Week 16 matchup against the Broncos. Expect Herbert to be good to go as a low-end fantasy QB1.

Herbert played through the same ankle injury in Week 15’s loss to the Buccaneers and should be fine for a pivotal Week 16 game against the Broncos on Thursday night. We’ll see how things like a little closer to game day, but Herbert opening the week as a limited participant is a good sign for his availability.

Herbert was clearly hampered by his Week 14 thigh contusion and ankle sprain, logging zero carries for the first time this season. Herbert managed the Buccaneers’ blitzed-powered pass rush effectively early on but the unit eventually got after him, sacking Herbert three times for 25 yards. The Chargers also lost LG Zion Johnson to a leg injury in-game. Herbert’s interception came on a long pass attempt intended for Quentin Johnston, who fell down after the ball was thrown. Buccaneers CB Jamel Dean secured the pick, ending Herbert’s 357-pass interception-free streak. He was one pass attempt away from tying Tom Brady for the fourth-best all-time streak. Taylor Heinicke replaced Herbert late in the fourth quarter. Herbert is a low-end QB1 against the similarly blitz-happy Broncos in Week 16.

Herbert suffered a new ankle injury in Week 14 on top of a thigh contusion. He was held out of Wednesday’s practice but returned to the field for a limited session on Thursday. He was a full go in Friday’s practice. While Herbert is clearly playing at less than full strength, he gets a great matchup with the Bucs this week and might get his top receiver, Ladd McConkey, back in the fold. Herbert remains a low-end QB1 for the quarterfinal round of most fantasy leagues.