The Los Angeles Chargers will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding QB Justin Herbert.
Is Justin Herbert Playing in Week 15?
It seems like Herbert is always banged up. Herbert sustained a leg injury that had him seriously hobbling off the field. Herbert, one of the toughest players in the league, returned and finished the game.
He did not practice on Wednesday with what is being described as an ankle/thigh injury. However, he did return to a limited session on Thursday and upgraded to full on Friday. He is good to go.
We’ll continue to monitor the Chargers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Justin Herbert in Week 15?
Herbert has dropped back on 121 third downs — none of his 104 passes on those plays have been intercepted (eight touchdowns). This highlights, to me, how valuable he is for the Chargers, even if his fantasy numbers aren’t jumping off the screen.
With Los Angeles overachieving based on expectations, you’d assume that their shot caller has more than five top-15 finishes and better than a QB7 peak.
Josh Allen and Joe Burrow need to put up elite fantasy numbers for their teams to succeed — that’s simply not true for Herbert, and I don’t see that changing over the final month.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 15 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Justin Herbert’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 15
As of Sunday morning, Herbert is projected to score 18.2 fantasy points in Week 15. This includes 257.1 passing yards, 1.6 passing touchdowns, and 0.5 interceptions. It also includes 3.6 rushing attempts for 13.6 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Raiders' Defense
The Raiders are long eliminated from the playoffs, but have shockingly surged up these rankings in recent weeks. That's despite Maxx Crosby going down for the season and Christian Wilkins playing only five games all year, robbing Antonio Pierce of his two most notable defenders.
Still, the Raiders are taking advantage of a soft schedule to finish strong for the second straight year. Las Vegas posted a season-best 88.1 (B+) grade in Week 17 vs. New Orleans, their third top-10 finish in the last five weeks.
This is a little reminiscent of last year's strong finish that earned Pierce the full-time job, albeit without as many wins. The Raiders ranked fifth in Defense+ last year after Pierce became the interim coach, and since returning from their Week 12 bye, rank fourth in Defense+ this year.
It's interesting that Las Vegas' defense has shown notable improvement down the stretch for the second straight year, even without particularly inspiring personnel. With back-to-back wins following a 10-game losing streak, Pierce is once again riding a December surge to potentially make his case for another season on the job.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Justin Herbert’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 7:00 AM ET on Sunday, January 5. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Week 18 Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 18 QB PPR Rankings
1) Lamar Jackson | BAL (vs. CLE)
2) Jayden Daniels | WAS (at DAL)
3) Baker Mayfield | TB (vs. NO)
4) Joe Burrow | CIN (at PIT)
5) Sam Darnold | MIN (at DET)
6) Jared Goff | DET (vs. MIN)
7) Jordan Love | GB (vs. CHI)
8) Bo Nix | DEN (vs. KC)
9) Kyler Murray | ARI (vs. SF)
10) Justin Herbert | LAC (at LV)
11) Drake Maye | NE (vs. BUF)
12) Bryce Young | CAR (at ATL)
13) Russell Wilson | PIT (vs. CIN)
14) Geno Smith | SEA (at LAR)
15) Caleb Williams | CHI (at GB)
16) Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (vs. MIA)
17) Joe Flacco | IND (vs. JAX)
18) Michael Penix Jr. | ATL (vs. CAR)
19) Mason Rudolph | TEN (vs. HOU)
20) Aidan O'Connell | LV (vs. LAC)
21) Mac Jones | JAX (at IND)
22) Tanner McKee | PHI (vs. NYG)
23) Kenny Pickett | PHI (vs. NYG)
24) Cooper Rush | DAL (vs. WAS)
25) C.J. Stroud | HOU (at TEN)
26) Drew Lock | NYG (at PHI)
27) Jimmy Garoppolo | LAR (vs. SEA)
28) Carson Wentz | KC (at DEN)
29) Davis Mills | HOU (at TEN)
30) Tyler Huntley | MIA (at NYJ)
31) Joshua Dobbs | SF (at ARI)
32) Spencer Rattler | NO (at TB)
33) Mitchell Trubisky | BUF (at NE)
34) Taylor Heinicke | LAC (at LV)
35) Bailey Zappe | KC (at DEN)
36) Dorian Thompson-Robinson | CLE (at BAL)
37) Sam Howell | SEA (at LAR)
38) Josh Allen | BUF (at NE)
Chargers at Raiders Trends and Insights
Los Angeles Chargers
Team: Saturday in New England was only the third time since 2019 that the Chargers have earned at least a B grade in both Offense+ and Defense+ in the same game. The others:
- 2022 Week 17 vs. the Rams (31-10 win)
- 2019 Week 4 vs. the Dolphins (30-10 win).
QB: On Saturday, Justin Herbert officially became the NFL’s top passer through five career seasons (he opened the win over the Patriots by completing 17 of his first 21 passes for 162 yards and a pair of scores and a pair of teammate drops).
Offense: In Week 16, the Chargers scored a season-high 3.1 yards per drive, a rate they topped on Saturday against the Patriots (4.0).
Defense: Los Angeles is 10-1 this season when holding the opposition to a sub-50% third down conversion rate (Week 17 at Patriots: 20%).
Fantasy: Justin Herbert has thrown multiple touchdown passes in three straight games for the first time this season and snapped a 411-day drought since his last game with 3+ TD passes on Saturday.
Betting: Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in their past six games as a road favorite (4-1 this season).
Las Vegas Raiders
Team: Over the past two seasons, the Raiders are 5-2 after December 13 and 7-19 prior.
QB: Aidan O’Connell turned 12 third-down pass attempts into 131 yards and his first third-down score of the season on Sunday.
Offense: Vegas converted a season-high 10 third downs on Sunday in New Orleans (they hadn’t had more than four conversions in a game since Week 12).
Defense: The Raiders allowed under one point per drive on Sunday against the Saints, their first such performance this season.
Fantasy: Brock Bowers is eight catches away from tying the all-time tight end record for receptions in a single season (116 by Zach Ertz in 2018) and is 104 yards away from posting a top-10 yardage season all-time at the position.
Betting: The Raiders closed last season with four straight covers and can repeat that level of winter success this season should they cover the number this weekend.