Justin Herbert Fantasy Outlook Shaky for 2020 Rookie Season With Chargers

Justin Herbert has become the newest member of the Los Angeles Chargers, going No. 6 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

While the Chargers are hoping that Herbert is going to be the long-term answer as their franchise quarterback, fantasy football owners shouldn't be so quick to roll the dice on him in 2020.

Justin Herbert Fantasy Football Value

While Tua Tagovailoa's injury history may have earned him the label as the risky early QB prospect, that label may actually be more fitting for Herbert. Tall, strong-armed quarterbacks with accuracy issues have real boom-or-bust potential, especially when they didn't always turn those attributes into strong production in college.

Herbert, for example, averaged 9.0 adjusted yards per pass attempt (AY/A) in 2019. That's compared to a stellar 13.4 for Tua and 12.5 for Joe Burrow. Herbert ranked 16th in the nation in that category last season. His rushing ability (560 yards and 13 scores on 231 career carries at Oregon) does boost his fantasy football value, but it's not the kind of elite rushing upside that can carry his outlook on its own.

He could be surrounded by a great supporting cast in the Chargers offense, with Austin Ekeler, Hunter Henry, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams at his disposal, but Herbert isn't even a lock to be a Week 1 starter. The Chargers have said that they plan to have Tyrod Taylor as their starting QB to open the season.

Even if he does win the starting job and slides into the later rounds of 2020 fantasy football drafts, it would be wise to avoid Herbert entirely, as he could be in for a slow start to his NFL career.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.