Who Should I Start? Justin Herbert or Michael Penix Jr.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
26.0 23.4 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0

Justin Herbert News

Justin Herbert Poised for Career Year Following Coaching Changes in Los Angeles?

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
8.3 3.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Michael Penix Jr. News

Falcons Plan to Eventually Start Michael Penix Jr.

Wednesday, September 2, 5:54 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (knee) is expected to eventually take over as the starter under center, according to Cameron Wolfe. Penix is still working his way back from a partially torn left ACL from last year. He was cleared to begin doing team drills as of last weekend. Wolfe mentions that he believes it's too soon for Penix to start in Week 1, but it doesn't sound like it'll take him too long before he's ready to go. The expectation is that Tua Tagovailoa will begin the season as the starter while Penix gets fully healthy. The 26-year-old is likely still viewed as the future in Atlanta, but they need to make sure he's healthy first.


Justin Herbert vs. Michael Penix Jr.

Still trying to decide between Herbert and Penix Jr.? 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 26.0 points this week while Michael Penix Jr. is projected to score 8.3 points.