The Los Angeles Chargers will face the New England Patriots in Week 18. 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 18?
Herbert is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
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 18?
On Saturday, Herbert officially became the NFL’s top passer through the first five seasons of a career (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).
He also missed Ladd McConkey on what could (should) have been a 23-yard touchdown. Since Week 8, even in a system that can be restrictive at times, Herbert has seven top-12 finishes. I think you can go ahead and adjust that number to eight with the 10th-worst passing defense when it comes to opponent touchdown rate.
I’d love to see the rushing numbers bump up a bit (he cleared 12 yards on the ground just once in December), but with Jim Harbaugh trusting him with more weekly and a career-best yards-per-pass pace, you’re playing Herbert with confidence this week.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 18 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Justin Herbert’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Herbert is projected to score 18.2 fantasy points in Week 18. 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 Texans' Defense
The Texans' defense has become the team's backbone this season, but the unit had faltered in back-to-back losses against the Baltimore Ravens and Chiefs.
In that respect, finishing the season against the Tennessee Titans served as a nice dose of mouthwash ahead of the playoffs. Houston ends the season as a top-10 unit thanks to one of the best pass rushes in the NFL.
Led by the tandem of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, the Texans ended with the fourth-highest sack rate and second-best pass success rate of any defense this year. Houston wasn't shabby on the ground either, ranking eighth in success rate and fifth in EPA per play against the run.
Houston has the lowest Offense+ grade of any team in the playoff field, putting the burden on this unit to carry the team to a win against any meaningful competition. The Texans' playoff ceiling is certainly capped as a result, but this unit is capable of stealing one game at home.
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 8:30 AM ET on Sunday, January 12. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Wild Card Superflex Rankings.
Wild Card QB PPR Rankings
1) Josh Allen | BUF (vs. DEN)
2) Lamar Jackson | BAL (vs. PIT)
3) Jalen Hurts | PHI (vs. GB)
4) Jayden Daniels | WAS (at TB)
5) Baker Mayfield | TB (vs. WAS)
6) Sam Darnold | MIN (at LAR)
7) Bo Nix | DEN (at BUF)
8) Justin Herbert | LAC (at HOU)
9) Jordan Love | GB (at PHI)
10) Matthew Stafford | LAR (vs. MIN)
11) Russell Wilson | PIT (at BAL)
12) C.J. Stroud | HOU (vs. LAC)
13) Justin Fields | PIT (at BAL)
14) Kenny Pickett | PHI (vs. GB)
15) Jimmy Garoppolo | LAR (vs. MIN)
16) Kyle Trask | TB (vs. WAS)
17) Devin Leary | BAL (vs. PIT)
18) Nick Mullens | MIN (at LAR)
19) Mitchell Trubisky | BUF (vs. DEN)
20) Marcus Mariota | WAS (at TB)
21) Jarrett Stidham | DEN (at BUF)
22) Easton Stick | LAC (at HOU)
23) Davis Mills | HOU (vs. LAC)
24) Malik Willis | GB (at PHI)
Chargers at Texans Trends and Insights
Los Angeles Chargers
Team: The +101 point differential posted by the Chargers this season is their best since outscoring the opposition by 119 points in 2010.
QB: Justin Herbert is the first Chargers player to complete two-thirds of his passes with 280 yards and multiple scores through the air in three straight games (prior to him, it had been in consecutive games nine times in franchise history).
Offense: Los Angeles has averaged over 3.0 points per drive three times this season … Weeks 16-17-18.
Defense: Opponents have converted just nine of 32 third downs over the past three weeks (28.1%).
Fantasy: Ladd McConkey finishes his rookie season with three straight games north of 85 receiving yards. His six such games match the franchise record for a rookie (2013 Keenan Allen).
Betting: The Texans finished the regular season 3-5 ATS at home, with unders going 6-1-1.
Houston Texans
Team: The Texans are 1-6 in their last seven games with C.J. Stroud under center against a winning team and have been outscored 196-106 in those contests.
QB: C.J. Stroud threw 116 deep passes (15+ air yards) last season and 122 this season. The attempt count was similar, but the success rate was very different.
- 2023: 9 touchdowns and 0 interceptions
- 2024: 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions
Offense: Houston averages 1.81 points per drive this season. When they reach that number, they are 7-2 (3-5 otherwise).
Defense: The Texans are 9-1 this season when stopping the opposition on over 60% of their third down opportunities (1-6 otherwise).
Fantasy: Nico Collins has appeared in eight Texan victories this season, and in those games, he’s produced 41.7% over PPR expectations.
Betting: Unders are 4-1 in Houston’s past five games.