Does Joe Alt’s Return Make Justin Herbert a Top Fantasy Option? Offensive Lines and Their Fantasy Impact, Week 9

Thomas Emerick
October 30, 2025

The tip of the Chargers’ spear had been dulled without both Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater. Passing efficiency had slowed in late September and October for a unit that produced bona fide fantasy starters through the league’s first month in Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen, and Quentin Johnston.

Slater is done for 2025, but Alt’s return last Thursday generates a sustainable second wind for a Bolts offense now helping Oronde Gadsden II and Ladd McConkey get across the finish line on projections. In the four games where Alt played more than 10 snaps, the Chargers’ EPA per pass play of 0.31 would rank third in the league for a full season. In the four other games without Alt anchoring that unit, their EPA/pass of -0.1, if spanned across a full season, would rank fourth-worst in the NFL.

Herbert remains the league’s most pressured quarterback, but the rate of pressure attributed to Herbert nearly doubles when Alt is out. Los Angeles is staring down a chasm on their tackle depth chart right now due to injuries, and Alt’s sophomore season has further confirmed he’s in the mix with the league’s best tackles. Hopefully that Chargers injury luck doesn’t hit Alt again this season.

Below we’ll explore other areas where teams are gaining offensive line continuity and, conversely, experiencing disruptions up front.

Who’s losing and returning fixtures on the starting OL?

Three teams gained continuity and five teams lost it up front in Week 8.

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Thomas Emerick

Jahmyr Gibbs’ Turnaround with Taylor Decker’s Return and 6 More Fantasy-Relevant OL Changes: Offensive Lines and the Fantasy Impacts, Week 8

Thomas Emerick October 25, 2025

A much-needed week for the Jahmyr Gibbs bags started with Taylor Decker returning at left tackle for the Detroit Lions. Decker had missed the previous two weeks, and the ROI on that top-5 pick nosedived. Gibbs went off on Monday night, mostly because he’s very good, though it also helped that the tackle play improved dramatically. The previous two games saw different LT backups in Giovanni Manu…...

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Zach Tom’s Return Unleashes Green Bay’s Explosive Potential: Offensive Lines and Their Fantasy Impact, Week 7

Thomas Emerick October 16, 2025

Packers RT Zach Tom played sparingly before the bye due to an oblique injury, which became a real problem when Jordan Love and company faced reasonable opposition in Cleveland and Detroit. Green Bay’s fourth-year starter was among the top right tackles last season, and last week his return ushered in one solitary pressure and zero QB hits from the RT assignment. While injuries hammer the receiver position for Green…...

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The Raiders’ Offensive Line Transformation Is Creating Ashton Jeanty’s Fantasy Runway: Offensive Lines and Their Fantasy Impact, Week 6

Thomas Emerick October 10, 2025

Last week this column focused on the jump in store for the Buccaneers’ and Saints’ offenses due to the reverberations of returning cogs on the offensive line. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs bumped Graham Barton back to center for Baker Mayfield in Tampa. The Saints stabilized protection around Spencer Rattler with promising young right tackle Taliese Fuaga, and at least creeped back in the direction of…...