Who Should I Start? Justin Herbert or Brock Bowers

Monday, January 5, 9:51 PM

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert sat out of the regular-season finale versus the Denver Broncos. It was a smart idea for the Chargers to sit Herbert and give him another week to rest and recover, as he's been playing through a surgically repaired left (non-throwing) hand for the last couple of weeks. The 27-year-old will now head into a tough matchup against a New England Patriots defense that is in the top 10 in terms of passing yards allowed to QBs this season. Herbert hasn't exactly been elite during the second half of the season behind a thin and beat-up offensive line. He has only thrown for multiple scores once over his last four games. Herbert is still a quality QB, but he is looking more like a high-end QB2 for fantasy managers going into the playoffs.

Wednesday, December 24, 11:30 AM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (knee) has been placed on Injured Reserve, ending his 2025 season, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Pelissero notes that Bowers has been battling a lingering knee injury since Week 1, and the 2-13 Raiders are now focused on making sure their star tight end is fully healthy for 2026. Across 12 games this season, the 23-year-old recorded 64 receptions for 680 yards and seven touchdowns on 86 targets. With Bowers sidelined, Raiders tight end Michael Mayer is likely in line for a spike in both playing time and target share. Across a two-game stretch in Weeks 6 and 7 with Bowers inactive, Mayer recorded six catches for 60 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. For fantasy managers now left scrambling to fill the tight end position, Mayer could be a solid streamer in Week 17 against the New York Giants.