Justin Herbert's Ugly Start: Six Picks, 12 Sacks and a Harbaugh Shrug
Herbert is the first Chargers QB since Ryan Leaf in 2000 with six INTs and 10 sacks through four games. Fantasy managers, we need to talk.
Cash on the name before the turnovers crater his trade value.
- Chargers rank 4th-worst scoring: 16.8 PPG
- Herbert QBR 27.9, a career low through 4 starts
- 12 sacks taken, tied 2nd-most in NFL
- First Chargers QB with 6 INT + 10 sacks since Leaf, 2000
- Passing offense 185.3 YPG, worst pace since 1998
The Los Angeles Chargers are 0-4, and the ugliest number attached to that start belongs to Justin Herbert. Through four games he's thrown six interceptions and been sacked 12 times — making him the first Chargers quarterback since Ryan Leaf in 2000 to post at least six picks and 10 sacks over the opening four weeks. That's not a comparison any franchise QB wants to wear.
Sunday's 30-23 loss to Seattle was a microcosm: Herbert turned it over three times, including a strip-sack on the final possession that sealed the result, after two first-half interceptions dug a 17-point hole. His QBR sits at a career-worst 27.9, a jarring drop for a passer who normally lives in the 60s, and he's completing just 59.7% of his throws. The offense ranks fourth-worst in scoring at 16.8 points per game and is on pace for its lowest passing-yards average since 1998.
The Blame Game Nobody's Playing
New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel brought his Miami scheme to L.A. this offseason, and the fit has been rough. Jim Harbaugh was asked point-blank whether McDaniel's job was at risk and shot it down, calling him a skilled coach and vowing the group would keep growing. McDaniel, for his part, said he's fully responsible and spends zero time dodging blame.
Herbert isn't pointing fingers either. He praised McDaniel in glowing terms and put the onus on himself to start making plays, insisting the offense will come around. That's admirable leadership. It's also exactly the kind of talk that precedes a few more weeks of pain before anything actually changes.
The Fantasy Fallout
Here's the twist managers need to understand. Our numbers paint a less catastrophic picture than the box scores suggest: Herbert has 816 passing yards, four touchdowns and zero picks in our scoring for the 2026 season through four games, good for 57 PPR points and a #8 finish among quarterbacks (#18 overall). The interception count the NFL credits him and our fantasy ledger don't line up, but his form trend is down — he's scoring about three fantasy points below his season average over his last five games.
The verdict: sell high while the QB1 ranking still gives you cover. The real-world turnovers, the career-worst efficiency and an offense pacing toward historic passing lows all point the wrong direction. If a leaguemate still values the name, trade him for a steadier QB1 now. If you're holding, he's a matchup-dependent stream at best until this scheme and the sacks sort themselves out before midseason.
