Justin

Herbert

Herbert was wearing the yellow non-contact jersey. Kris Rhim of ESPN did note that the signal-caller wasn’t participating in any drills during the open part of practice, however. Fantasy managers should wait to see the designation for the official designation before making QB decisions, but it does appear likely that the 26-year-old will be on the field for Week 3 against the Steelers at this point.

Herbert underwent X-rays on his right leg after tweaking his ankle in the Chargers’ Week 2 win over Carolina. Head coach Jim Harbaugh didn’t seem overly concerned with the ankle injury earlier in the day, telling reporters Herbert is feeling better than he did earlier in the week and that he expects the quarterback to get better every day. Still, it’s not ideal for Herbert to be missing practice this early in the season. Assuming there are no setbacks, Herbert should play through the injury in Week 3 versus the Steelers. Per usual, expect the Chargers to dial up an absurdly run-heavy game plan.

When asked if Herbert could still undergo an MRI, Harbaugh told reports that he believed evaluations will continue as the week goes on. The quarterback was “rolled up” on during a second half sack and looked to be in significant pain, although he was able to return without missing a snap. It’s a situation to monitor, but Herbert seems more likely to play than not in Week 3 against the Steelers.

In his own words, Herbert got “rolled up” on a second half sack. He was in a heap of pain and went to the blue tent but returned without missing a snap. His mobility did not appear limited. Unless he was riding a world-record amount of adrenaline, Herbert has probably avoided any issues that are going to cost him time, but it is something to monitor ahead of Week 3 against the Steelers.

CBS’ Jay Feely dropped the stat that Herbert’s 130 yards passing were his fewest ever in a victory. That breaks a record he set last week with 144. The Jim Harbaugh/Greg Roman offense has arrived, along with the actual victories. It’s dire in fantasy, but Herbert was not drafted anywhere close to the QB1 range, anyways. He is also attempting to use his legs, but he got briefly injured again this afternoon, paying a visit to the blue tent with a right leg issue after an attempted pocket climbing. He was evidently no worse for the wear. When he did take to the air, Herbert found second-year first-rounder Quentin Johnston for 5/51/2. Harbaugh is making every facet of this team better even if it’s not producing fantasy points. They should still come in better matchups (a non-competitive Panthers team never forced the issue). Unfortunately, the Steelers profile as another defensive slog in Week 3.

It wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns for a Chargers team that didn’t find the end zone until the fourth quarter. The offense looked flat and lacked any semblance of vertical component, something that could spell trouble against more vaunted opponents. It took until just under three minutes remaining in the game for Herbert to notch his first passing touchdown of the season, a 10-yard catch-and-run scored by rookie Ladd McConkey on a slant. The lack of a true deep threat is likely to continue to hamstring the offense moving forward as the team appears intent on stringing together drives on shorter yardage passing in addition to a robust run game through JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Nevertheless, the Chargers escaped with a victory in true Jim Harbaugh fashion by wearing down their opponent between the tackles. Up next for the Chargers are the struggling Panthers who are coming off an embarrassing 47-10 trouncing at the hands of the Saints.

Herbert suffered a plantar fascia injury in camp and missed some time while recovering. Herbert was listed as a full participant in all three practice sessions this week before being removed from the report. The injury could limit his mobility slightly, but there has been no indication that it will be a long-term issue. Herbert is a top-10 talent at quarterback, but Jim Harbuagh’s run-first style will severely limit his passing volume. Fantasy managers should treat him as a high-end QB2 going into the season.

Per Popper, the team said nothing has changed with Herbert since Wednesday’s practice. The veteran quarterback was not on yesterday’s report, but the league has advised them to add him to the report despite him being back on the field for over two weeks. It’s an odd request by the league, but it doesn’t sound like there’s anything to be worried about here. We fully expect Herbert to play in Week 1 against the Raiders barring any legitimate setbacks.

Herbert had missed much of camp and preseason with a foot injury, revealed to be plantar fascia. He returned to practice towards the end of the preseason and now appears to be good to go for Week 1. Foot injuries can be difficult to shake, so there is a chance Herbert will be back on the injury report managing the issue. However, things look good for him to play through it for now. Expect Herbert to be in the high-end QB2 range this week.

Things appeared to be trending in this direction after the Chargers released quarterback Max Duggan earlier in the day. After shedding his walking boot late last week, Herbert was spotted throwing in warmups and could be nearing a full return to action. Back on August 1, the Chargers said Herbert would be week-to-week with a plantar fascia injury he suffered in camp before putting him through a gradual ramp-up period as the season approaches. On the surface, it would appear everything is on track for Herbert to be ready by Week 1, but the team will probably give us more specific details in the coming days.