One of the few pieces that didn't change on offense for the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason was quarterback Justin Herbert. Herbert has established himself as one of the better signal-callers around the NFL over the years and the new regime is looking to continue that fact.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh now takes over and major changes to the offense are expected. Harbaugh-led teams typically rely heavily on the running game, with the passing attack coming in as a distant second option.
So where does this leave Herbert in terms of fantasy football production? Riley Thomas of FanDuel weighed in on Herbert's fantasy assessment for the upcoming year under the likely new offense schemes.
"While Herbert still possesses supreme talent, don't expect him to tap back into 2021's fantasy numbers. This is a much different team, especially with coach Jim Harbaugh taking over. numberFire's fantasy football projections have Herbert in line with his ADP of QB15. Projections are predicting a similar workload for Herbert at 34.0 passing attempts per game compared to 35.0 in 2023. The same can be said for his yardage at a forecasted 242.3 passing yards per game versus 241.1 last season."
Herbert lost reliable weapons Keenan Allen and Mike Williams this offseason and saw them replaced with younger, inexperienced talent. Rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey looks to be the top target for Herbert this season so the need for his development throughout the year will be paramount.
If the young players can't step up, Herbert's value in fantasy will plummet. He already is being seen as a lower-ranked option before the games have even kicked off.
While the Chargers offense is expected to be run-heavy, Harbaugh has never had a talent like Herbert behind center. This could possibly move him to rely on the passing game more, giving us some unfamiliar territory when it comes to the veteran head coach.
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