Who Should I Start? Justin Herbert or Jalen Hurts

Thursday, August 14, 3:37 PM

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert will play in his first career preseason game on Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams. Head coach John Harbaugh said the plan is for offensive and defensive starters, and Herbert will play "a series or two." While Herbert is viewed by many as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, his fantasy floor and ceiling took hits last season in Greg Roman's run-first offense. After throwing for at least 4,336 yards in the first three seasons of his career, the Oregon product tallied just 3,870 passing yards in 17 games a season ago. While he has a ton of upside in shootout game conditions, Harbaugh and Roman are unlikely to transition into a high-flying passing attack.

Saturday, August 16, 12:51 PM

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is not expected to play in the team's second preseason game on Saturday against the Cleveland Browns, according to Tim McManus of ESPN. Tanner McKee also isn't expected to suit up, paving the way for Dorian Thompson-Robinson to make his first start of the preseason. Kyle McCord should also see reps under center. Hurts also sat out last week's preseason opener, so his last chance to play in the preseason will come next Friday against the New York Jets. The 27-year-old didn't crack 3,000 passing yards in 2024 for the first time as a starter, but it didn't help that he sat out two games due to injury. The Eagles relied more on the ground with running back Saquon Barkley tearing it up, but Hurts still scored double-digit touchdowns on the ground for the fourth straight year. For his rushing TD prowess alone, he should be considered a top-five fantasy QB.