Kevin Szafraniec breaks down the Week 1 performance of Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ passing game and explains whether fantasy managers should expect the pass-heavy play calling to continue all season.
The stigma that has lingered around Greg Roman and Jim Harbaugh since they first worked together in San Francisco over a decade ago is that neither of them wants to pass the ball, ever. This is a big reason Justin Herbert’s fantasy value plummeted when the duo came to Los Angeles to take over coaching duties for the Chargers.
Things hit a low point as Herbert struggled through foot and ankle injuries over the first half of the 2024 season. However, as he began to recover from his lower-body ailments, Herbert went on to finish as the QB5 from Week 8 onward, averaging 22.2 fantasy points per game.
Herbert also saw a big boost in rushing production starting in Week 10, coming in eighth at the position in rushing expected points (EP) and 10th in rushing fantasy points over expectation (FPOE) over the final nine weeks of the year.
Herbert kicked off the 2025 season with a bang, scoring 27.9 fantasy points by throwing for over 300 yards, sporting a 3:0 TD:INT ratio, and adding 32 yards on the ground.
