Patrick Herbert Set for NFL Debut as Chargers' TE Room Collapses
David Njoku is on IR, Charlie Kolar's inactive, and Justin Herbert's little brother gets the call against the Bills. Here's the fantasy fallout.
Last healthy TE with a real role — the one worth stashing here.
- Njoku on IR with fibula injury (86 PPR pts in 2025)
- Kolar not active despite avoiding IR
- Chargers signed Hayden Rucci off JAX practice squad Tuesday
- Patrick Herbert elevated for his first NFL game Sunday
- LA sits 0-2 heading into Buffalo
The Chargers are so thin at tight end that they're now handing the ball to Justin Herbert's little brother. News broke Saturday that Patrick Herbert, elevated from the practice squad, will make his NFL debut Sunday against the Bills — the byproduct of a tight end room that's basically been wiped out. David Njoku (86 PPR points across 12 games in 2025) landed on injured reserve with a fibula issue, and Charlie Kolar (36 PPR points in 2025) is inactive despite the team ultimately deciding against an IR stint for his forearm.
That left Los Angeles scrambling. Oronde Gadsden II was the only healthy tight end on the roster earlier this week before the team signed Hayden Rucci off Jacksonville's practice squad on Tuesday. Patrick's promotion gives the 0-2 Chargers three active tight ends to throw at Buffalo — a patchwork group held together with tape and roster gymnastics.
Patrick Herbert's path here is a quiet one. He signed with the Chargers' practice squad earlier this month after spending the preseason with the Jaguars, where he'd been the entire prior season as a rookie without ever being activated for a game. Now he debuts in a Herbert-quarterbacked offense, which is a nice full-circle wrinkle.
The brothers both went to Oregon and overlapped during the 2019 season, when Justin was one of college football's best quarterbacks and Patrick was a true freshman who barely played. Justin never completed a pass to him in Eugene. If they connect Sunday, it'd be their first hookup since high school.
The Fantasy Fallout
Cute story, but don't overthink it for your lineup. Patrick Herbert is a depth body in an emergency situation, not a target hog — this is a snap-count debut, not a breakout. Rucci was unranked and scored zero PPR points across four games in 2025, so he's a non-factor too. The name to actually track is Gadsden II, the closest thing this room has to a real pass-catching role while Njoku and Kolar are out.
For managers: leave Patrick Herbert on waivers and treat the brotherly moment as a fun sidebar, not a start. Njoku, our #32 TE, is a hold-through-IR asset once healthy. If you're desperate at tight end in deeper leagues, monitor Gadsden's usage against Buffalo before spending FAAB — volume is the only thing that turns this mess into a streamer.
