How Justin Herbert's Injury Impacts the Chargers' Fantasy Football Outlook

Recent reports have revealed that Justin Herbert was diagnosed with a plantar fascia injury to his right foot during training camp for the Los Angeles Chargers. Injuries are an unfortunate part of football and force us to adjust our outlook on players in the fantasy realm.

While Herbert is expected to be ready for Week 1 of the 2024 season, how should we handle the strong-armed signal-caller and his pass-catching weapons in fantasy football now?

Justin Herbert Injury Outlook

Besides losing both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in free agency, Herbert is also going to be playing under his fourth offensive coordinator in his five-year career with the Chargers replacing Kellen Moore with Greg Roman this offseason. Due to his recent injury, Herbert is expected to be sidelined for at least two weeks, and he's unlikely to receive any playing time during the preseason.

Losing practice snaps in a new offense could certainly have a negative effect on Herbert's fantasy football outlook. The fifth-year quarterback will now lose valuable reps with Ladd McConkey, Josh Palmer, and the other skill players on the Chargers who are expected to step up sans Allen and Williams.

Herbert was already considered a late-round quarterback with an overall average draft position (ADP) of 115.7 (QB16), according to FantasyPros' consensus ADP for half-PPR leagues. While there was hope for Herbert to see more rushing production in Roman's offense, those expectations will need to be tempered as he works back from a foot injury that could hinder him early in the season.

Meanwhile, McConkey and Palmer could suffer if Herbert isn't at one hundred percent when the regular season kicks off. McConkey currently carries an ADP of 101.3 (WR43) while Palmer possesses an ADP of 158.3 (WR61), and we could see them drop a bit further in drafts moving forward.

Lastly, there could be more rushing opportunities to go around for Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, and rookie Kimani Vidal as the Chargers protect Herbert to begin the season. Los Angeles is among the teams with a ton of uncertainty surrounding their running back room, but we may get a chance to see how things shake out sooner rather than later if the Chargers lean on their ground game until Herbert is healthier.

Outside of the running backs potentially getting more work to begin the year, Herbert's recent injury news is far from ideal for the Chargers' fantasy football outlook.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.