Who Should I Start? Justin Herbert or J.J. McCarthy
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26.3 | 24.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Justin Herbert News
Friday, September 4, 12:19 PM
Across 16 games in 2025, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert completed 66.4% of his pass attempts for 3,727 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. The 28-year-old also rushed for a career-high 498 yards and two touchdowns on 83 attempts, which helped him finish the year as the fantasy QB10 in both overall and per-game scoring. Entering 2026, there's reason to believe Herbert could be well-positioned to top 4,000 passing yards for the first time since 2022. The Chargers have a new offensive coordinator in former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who should help open up the offense with more explosive plays down the field. Herbert also has a much healthier offensive line in front of him and an extremely talented group of offensive weapons to throw the ball to. As long as he stays healthy, Herbert has a chance to put together his most productive statistical season since 2021, when he threw for 5,014 yards and 35 touchdowns.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
J.J. McCarthy News
Wednesday, September 9, 10:51 AM
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters on Wednesday that veteran quarterback Carson Wentz is the backup to starter Kyler Murray and that J.J. McCarthy is the third-stringer to open the 2026 season, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. It will be a week-to-week evaluation. "This gives us the best chance to win," O'Connell said. The writing was on the wall for the 23-year-old former first-rounder from Michigan when the Vikings signed Murray to a one-year deal this offseason in free agency. McCarthy lost out in the training camp QB battle to Murray, and after struggling in the preseason and getting banged up, he will enter his third year in the NFL as the team's QB3. In his first full season as the Vikings' starter in 2025, McCarthy only played in 10 games due to various injuries and struggled with his accuracy, completing 140 of his 243 pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. McCarthy's best path back to fantasy relevance in dynasty/keeper leagues might be a trade out of Minnesota at this point.
Justin Herbert vs. J.J. McCarthy
Still trying to decide between Herbert and McCarthy? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Justin Herbert is projected to score 26.3 points this week while J.J. McCarthy is projected to score 0.0 points.
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