In fantasy, Justin Herbert is playing about as well as former Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf did 26 years ago. Things have to get better, right?
Entering this season, the 2000 Chargers were the worst in franchise history. They went 1-15 and then gave up on Leaf, the #2 overall pick in the 1998 draft. In many ways, it's an apples-and-zucchini comparison. Leaf was out of the league within a year. Herbert is in his prime and remains the Chargers' unquestioned starter.
But their numbers are oddly similar, raising the question of whether Herbert and this offense can turn things around. Herbert has averaged 199 passing yards per game while assembling a horrible 0.55 TD-to-interception ratio .38 He's also taken 31 sacks. In his nine starts in 2000, Leaf
averaged 192 passing yards while collecting a terrible 0.63 TD-to-interception ratio. He also took 29 sacks.
Herbert is the third Chargers franchise QB to emerge from the ashes of their turn-of-the-century mistake. He, Philip Rivers, and Drew Brees have started all but 12 games in the past 25 seasons. There is no indication that Herbert is post-prime or that this will be a long-term issue.
However, most fantasy managers who drafted Herbert gave up on him a while ago, and for good reasons. So the question remains: will he continue posting Leaf-like numbers the rest of this year? Or will talent eventually rise to the top? Their Monday night matchup in Baltimore will tell us a lot.
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This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Justin Herbert: Worst Chargers QB fantasy season since Ryan Leaf
