Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert’s fantasy outlook in 2024 took a bit of a twist when it was revealed that he had a plantar fascia injury, which will keep him out of the preseason.
There are plenty of fantasy team names to consider using Herbert’s likeness, but is there a reason to add him to your roster?’
Below, I’ll examine his 2024 value in fantasy football leagues and whether or not he’s a good pick.
Justin Herbert’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
A fantasy strategy I love deploying is waiting on a quarterback, and considering Herbert’s ADP, I believe he falls into that category.
Herbert’s 2023 season ended early due to injury, and now he has a foot issue, which is seemingly scaring away potential owners. He’s going as QB16 in drafts, which feels unfathomable for a player of Herbert’s stature.
Between Week 1 and Week 12, Herbert was QB5. He got injured in Week 14, but between Week 13 and Week 14, he combined for only 10 fantasy points, reducing him to QB 10 overall.
In 2022, Herbert was the season-long QB11. Of course, Herbert’s offense is plenty different this season.
In addition to the injury, the receiving corps is completely new without Mike Williams and Keenan Allen.
Los Angeles drafted Ladd McConkey in the second round and brought in DJ Chark this offseason. Jerry Rice’s son, seventh-round rookie Brenden Rice, is also on the team. Herbert does still have Joshua Palmer to throw to, and the team is hoping for a step forward from second-year WR Quentin Johnston.
With new head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, the Chargers will want to run the ball. Los Angeles brought in two former Baltimore Ravens running backs, Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins, and drafted Kimani Vidal too.
In his career, Herbert has only finished under 4,336 passing yards once. That was last year when he played just 13 games and averaged 241.1 yards per contest, which was a career worst.
Fantasy owners would love to see Herbert regain his 2021 form when he had 5,014 yards and 38 touchdowns, but the roster doesn’t support that. There are so many unknowns.
Looking at every pass catcher currently on the roster, Palmer had the most targets (38) in 2023. According to TruMedia, Herbert completed just 54.5% of his passes on third down, which, for a run-first offense, I’m not sure how to feel about that. That could be an issue.
Is Herbert a Good Fantasy Pick?
I know the roster was completely overhauled and that Herbert is dealing with the foot issue, but I’ll believe in the player here.
I wouldn’t draft Herbert as my only quarterback, though. I’d certainly make sure to take two in case I need to pivot, but he’s far too talented to provide no value. If he can maintain the 241.1 yards per game he produced last season, he’ll still finish with over 4,000 yards passing
He’s probably too far gone from being QB10 or better, but despite the hurdles, he’s a strong candidate to surpass his ADP.
Take a chance, get Herbert.