Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or Justin Herbert

Saturday, November 15, 12:23 PM

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (shoulder) didn't practice on Wednesday and Friday (limited on Thursday) due to a nagging right shoulder injury. Fortunately, it won't be enough to keep him off the field for the Week 11 AFC North clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Flacco spent over a decade with the Baltimore Ravens, so he's quite familiar with Sunday's opponent. However, despite numerous encounters with the Steelers over the years, Flacco's most recent showing against the team back in Week 7 was arguably his best, with the signal-caller throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns off 31-for-47 passing. He has played at an elevated level since first suiting up for the Bengals, so expectations remain high. With that said, Flacco is surrounded by a quality supporting cast, at least on the offensive side of the ball, giving him plenty of credibility as a starting fantasy option in any format for Sunday's anticipated high-scoring affair.

Friday, November 14, 5:02 PM

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 220 yards and one touchdown, while rushing five times for 19 yards in Sunday night's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite taking five sacks and taping both ankles during the game, he did not appear on this week's injury report. Next, the Chargers travel to face a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that has cooled down significantly, allowing the ninth-most passing yards and the fourth-most receiving touchdowns this season. While the Jaguars still have 12 interceptions on the season, any turnovers are more likely to be forced by Herbert's shaky protection due to the depleted and inconsistent offensive line play from Austin Deculus (34.9 PFF grade) and Mekhi Becton (40.6 PFF grade), rather than coverage. Herbert's ability to capitalize on a vulnerable defense and use his legs when feeling pressure makes him a confident mid-range QB1 this week, ranking as RotoBaller's QB5.