NFL Draft: Fantasy football impact of Justin Herbert to the Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers made Justin Herbert the sixth selection in Thursday's NFL Draft. What does landing in Los Angeles mean for Herbert's Fantasy outlook?
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With the sixth pick in the NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Chargers selected quarterback Justin Herbert out of Oregon. Find Herbert's 2020 Fantasy outlook below:
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 238
Age: 22
Dynasty Ranking: 2.10 (QB3)
Redraft Ranking: QB36
16-game projection for the 2020 season as a member (eight projected starts) of the Los Angeles Chargers:
Passing: 1,849 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions
Rushing: 29 carries for 77 yards and 1 touchdown
The first thing anyone is going to reference with Herbert is the insane arm talent. Given the electric arm and outstanding play as a 19-year-old sophomore, Herbert looked like the favorite to be the number one pick in last year's draft. Then the 2018 season happened. Herbert's PFF grade dropped from 90.5 as a sophomore to 76.6 as a junior, his yards per attempt plummeted from 9.6 to 7.8, and he posted completion percentages below 57 percent in eight of 13 games. Herbert decided to stay in college for a fourth season, but the production never bounced back to the level we saw from him as a sophomore.
Herbert's impressive testing and rocket arm ensured him a Day 1 selection, even after he gave several reasons for concern over the past two seasons at Oregon. Herbert has been labeled with some of the same negative attributes we've seen attached to previous tall big-arm prototypes, such as inaccuracy, struggles when required to make multiple reads, and lack of touch on passes.
Tyrod Taylor is expected to open the season as the starting quarterback for the Chargers, and given the strong supporting cast, Taylor could find success. As mentioned already, Herbert has some fine tuning to do before he can put his tools to good use, so a year learning the ropes wouldn't be the worst thing for his future. If forced into action as a rookie, Herbert's ability to throw on the run and successfully push the ball downfield could benefit L.A.'s young core of Mike Williams and Hunter Henry.
For dynasty purposes, L.A. was one of the best possible destinations for Herbert. If you are a believer in his talent, you should be ecstatic with this landing spot.