Welcome back to my weekly series, and as always, thank you to everyone who read last week’s Philadelphia Eagles edition. The NFC East was a fun division to look at and is always fun for fantasy! Now we’re heading out West to take a look at the AFC West, one of the more FanDuel Sportsbook- and fantasy-friendly divisions of years past.
Our first stop will be in sunny Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium. There’s a lot to be excited about if you’re a Chargers fan or a fantasy football enthusiast. The Chargers may have made the best offseason move with the hiring of Mike McDaniel as their new offensive coordinator. When you consider the success McDaniel had in Miami with Tyreek Hill (WR – MIA), Jaylen Waddle (WR – DEN), De’Von Achane (RB – MIA), and Tua Tagovailoa (QB – ATL), pairing McDaniel with Omarion Hampton (RB – LAC), Ladd McConkey (WR – LAC), Quentin Johnston (WR – LAC), Oronde Gadsden (TE – LAC), and Justin Herbert (QB – LAC) feels unfair! The biggest beneficiary of the McDaniel hire is Justin Herbert.
However, despite all of that optimism, the fantasy market hasn’t fully caught up yet. When looking at Herbert’s 2026 Superflex ADP on Dynasty Football Factory, he’s the ninth quarterback taken off the board and the 60th overall player. I believe Herbert is being undervalued given everything I mentioned above.
My question to the Los Angeles Chargers is: Is Justin Herbert being slept on as the QB1 in fantasy?
Since 2020 (Herbert’s rookie season), this is how he stacks up among all quarterbacks in the NFL:
(Stats via StatMuse | ADP via Dynasty Football Factory)
- Passing Yards: 24,820 (4th): More than Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson
- Touchdowns: 163 (5th): More than Joe Burrow
- Rushing Yards: 1,175 (8th since 2020): Herbert (498) had more yards than Drake Maye (450) in 2025
- Rushing Touchdowns: 15 (11th): Tied with Patrick Mahomes
- Games Played: 95 (3rd): More than Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow
Yet, all of these players are being drafted ahead of Herbert!
Not to mention Herbert (like most players) played through injury in multiple seasons, yet the only time he’s ever finished outside the top 12 was in 2023 when he missed four games due to a finger injury that required surgery. Herbert’s best seasons came in 2020 and 2021, when he finished as the QB9 (his rookie year) and QB2 in his sophomore season. Ironically, in those seasons he had a different head coach and offensive coordinator, and both of them had different coaching philosophies. In 2020, Anthony Lynn was the head coach of the Chargers, and he was offensive-minded. In 2021, the Chargers hired Brandon Staley, who was a defensive-minded head coach, but with pass-happy offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi calling the plays, that helped unlock Herbert and led to his best statistical season and fantasy season. What’s been difficult for Herbert throughout his career is how often he’s had to learn a new system. Heading into 2026, Mike McDaniel will be Herbert’s fifth offensive coordinator in seven years. Thankfully for Herbert, the addition of McDaniel to the coaching staff brings balance and creativity to the offense.
In his four years in Miami, Mike McDaniel’s impact was immediate in his first season. The year before McDaniel was coach the Dolphins offense ranked 22nd in PPG (20.1) and 25th in YPG (307). When McDaniel took over in 2022 those numbers improved significantly; the Dolphins’ offense scored 23.4 PPG (11th) and sixth in YPG averaging 364.5. In 2023 Miami’s offense had a historical season. The Dolphins offense had one of the most historically productive offensive seasons in recent NFL history with over 6,800 total yards, they became just the fourth team in NFL history to score 70 points in a regular season game, both Jaylen Waddle (WR – DEN) and Tyreek Hill (WR – MIA) had 1,000-yard receiving seasons, and Tyreek Hill led the league in receiving yards with 1,799, and for the first time in Miami’s history they had a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards, two receivers with 1,000 receiving yards, and a running back rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.
McDaniel was able to do all of this with Tua Tagovailoa (QB – ATL) at quarterback; now imagine what he’ll be able to do with Justin Herbert (QB – LAC)? Both Tua and Herbert have their issues with turnovers, but after that there is no comparison. When you compare their careers, Tua has only one top-12 fantasy season, Herbert has five. Herbert is more of a weapon as a rusher as well; in 2025 Herbert rushed for almost 500 yards (498), that’s more than Tua has in his entire career (473), and Herbert has scored double the rushing touchdowns — 15 compared to Tua’s career total of six. Both Herbert and Tua were drafted in 2020, but Herbert has played 95 career games compared to Tua’s 78.
Herbert is a better QB than what McDaniel had in Miami, with more stability, and the offensive supporting cast is equal to what McDaniel had in Miami.
Heading into the 2026 season, Herbert now has arguably the best coaching staff of his career. Two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater (OT – LAC) missed the entire 2025 season with a torn patellar tendon, and Pro Bowl right tackle Joe Alt (OT – LAC) played just six games before a season-ending ankle fracture. The Chargers finished dead last in pass block win rate and 31st in run block win rate, yet Herbert was still the QB10 in fantasy while being the most-pressured quarterback in the entire NFL. Both Slater and Alt are healthy, ahead of schedule in their recoveries, and expected to be ready for training camp. The best version of the Chargers’ offensive line hasn’t played a single snap with Mike McDaniel yet.
Now Herbert gets another year with Ladd McConkey (WR – LAC), Quentin Johnston (WR – LAC), Oronde Gadsden (TE – LAC), and Omarion Hampton (RB – LAC) — a first-round pick who suffered a fractured ankle in Week 5, missed eight games, and showed his resilience by returning to finish the final four weeks of the regular season. Hampton averaged 4.4 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns in just nine games as a rookie, and McDaniel compared him to Hall of Famer Terrell Davis this offseason.
Am I crazy for taking Herbert over Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, Patrick Mahomes, Drake Maye, and Jalen Hurts? Am I doing it anyway? You better believe it!
Is Justin Herbert being slept on as the QB1 in fantasy?
My answer: You’re damn right he is!
With 20 years of fantasy experience, Paul has learned two things the hard way — drafting at ADP keeps you average, and Superflex managers are overpaying for quarterbacks. Paul writes Dynasty Fantasy Football content to help managers find the edge everyone else is missing and actually win their leagues. Join the #DFFArmy and gain the edge fantasy managers are looking for. Follow him on Twitter @Paul_Ryan15. #AlwaysBeBuilding #AlwaysBeScouting
