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

Monday, October 6, 5:40 PM

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert had his worst game of the season, completing 22 of 29 passes for 166 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the team's 27-10 loss to the Washington Commanders. The offense looked disorganized, burdened by costly penalties and sloppy play for most of the afternoon. Herbert also led the team in rushing with four carries for 60 yards, showing how often he was pressured behind a depleted offensive line. Herbert has been hit 35 times in the last three games, as a wave of injuries on the offensive line continues to mount. As the team prepares for Week 6 against a struggling Miami Dolphins defense, the Chargers might need to rely more on the passing game since they just placed rookie running back Omarion Hampton (ankle) on IR. Herbert should have a chance to bounce back if his offensive line can give him some protection.

Tuesday, September 30, 12:21 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. got back on track in Sunday's 34-27 win over the Commanders, completing 20 of his 26 passes for 313 yards and two scores. He did throw one interception as well and was sacked once. The former first-rounder's 90.5 QBR for the game was a solid increase from the 71.3 rating he had going into the contest, and there was a marked improvement in the second-year quarterback's average yards per pass attempt, going from 6.1 in Weeks 1-3 to 12.0 in Week 4 (the highest of any QB). While it was a great bounce-back performance after two down weeks, the 25-year-old draws Buffalo in Week 5 after the team comes out of their bye, and the Bills have limited opposing passers to 125.8 yards per game thus far, which is the fewest yards passing per game in the entire NFL, so fantasy managers may want to look elsewhere for streaming options the next time Penix takes the field.