Who Should I Start? Taylor Heinicke or Justin Herbert

Wednesday, August 28, 8:22 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers are acquiring quarterback Taylor Heinicke from the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft pick. Not only is starting quarterback Justin Herbert (foot) recovering from plantar fasciitis in his foot, but backup Easton Stick regressed in training camp and the preseason. The 31-year-old Heinicke will be an upgrade at the QB position behind Herbert entering the regular season next week. In Atlanta, the Falcons were expected all along to try and trade Heinicke after taking rookie Michael Penix Jr. in the first round in April. Heinicke made his NFL debut back in 2017 with the Houston Texans and has appeared in 38 games (29 starts) since then with four different teams. His best year came in 2021 with Washington, when he threw for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 picks on 321 pass attempts over 16 games (15 starts).

Tuesday, October 22, 12:05 AM

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert had his first 300-yard game of the season in a Week 7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Herbert threw the ball 39 times, completing 27 passes. The attempts and completions were also season highs for Herbert, and it was also the first game where the Chargers focused far more on passing the ball than on running it. Despite the solid passing game, Herbert didn't find the end zone (partly because of an inexcusably awful fumble by Jalen Reagor), which kept him from putting up a particularly strong fantasy performance. Still, it was a mostly encouraging performance from Herbert and the Los Angeles passing game, who will take on the Saints on Sunday in Week 8.