Justin Herbert Injury Fantasy Football Impact | Should You Add Easton Stick? Can You Start Stick, Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, Gerald Everett and Others in Week 15?

It wouldn’t be a normal fantasy football week this season if we got through things without a big-name quarterback going down with an injury.

After week 14 wrapped up, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was ruled out for the season with a right index finger injury.

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Herbert’s Season

Herbert was looked to as one of the top fantasy quarterbacks coming into the season. Things didn’t go as well as planned, but Herbert still ranks 10th at the position - he’d likely be a few spots up if he had played a full game on Sunday.

Herbert completed 65.1% of his passes this season, going for 3,134 yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He rushed for an additional 228 yards and three scores.

The Chargers’ quarterback topped 200 passing yards and had at least one passing touchdown in all but three games this season. Herbert had multiple touchdown passes on six occasions, and topped 275 passing yards four times.

Easton Stick Fantasy Outlook

All eyes will be on Easton Stick on Thursday night, when the Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders open week 15. The short week might seem intimidating for a guy about to make his first career start, but maybe the quick turnaround will help ease some of his nerves.

In relief of Herbert on Sunday, Stick was pretty solid. He only completed 13 of his 24 attempts, but they went for 179 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown or interception, was sacked twice and fumbled two times, losing one.

Stick was a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The only other time he appeared in a game was in 2020, when he threw one pass. 

Herbert is known as one of the better QB talents in the league, but the Chargers’ offense is also full of talent, so any quarterback could be an average fantasy option if he simply takes care of the ball.

Week 15 Fantasy Outlook/Who to Start

Speaking of offensive talent, let’s take a brief look at how Stick replacing Herbert might affect things.

After some rumblings that Austin Ekeler could lose snaps and touches to Isaiah Spiller and Joshua Kelley in week 14, Ekeler had one of his better showings of the season.

Ekeler rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts, while catching 5-of-7 targets for 49 yards. Maybe the team decided to roll with Ekeler over Spiller or Kelley with Stick behind center, but the strong showing should mean Ekeler is viewed as the lead back for week 15. 

It would make sense if the Chargers also incorporated Spiller and Kelley into the offense more with Herbert out, but I’m not sure they’d get enough work to warrant starting this coming week. Maybe if the Chargers are ahead big those two backs could be solid fantasy options, but that seems unlikely with Stick starting.

I’d start Ekeler this week against a below-average Raiders’ run defense. I’d consider Kelley and Spiller in deeper leagues, but only play them if I had no other options.

Keenan Allen is the team’s top receiver, but he’s also dealing with a heel injury. I’d expect him to play Thursday after only missing three plays on Sunday.

Quentin Johnston delivered a solid outing in week 14, with 91 receiving yards on three catches and four targets. He could see less snaps and targets if Joshua Palmer returns from injured reserve.

Speaking of Palmer, he was estimated as a full participant for Monday’s practice, so I like his chances of playing this week.

If Palmer returns and Allen suits up, guys like Alex Erickson and Jalen Guyton won’t play nearly as many snaps in week 15 - Erickson played 45 snaps this past week, while Guyton was at 22.

We’ll obviously have to keep a close eye on the injury report this week to see who actually plays, but Allen is the only receiver I’d feel really confident about playing. Palmer and Johnston will likely both be part of start/sit trending decisions as the game approaches, so check back for those on Thursday.

Tight end Gerald Everett was estimated as a limited participant for Monday’s practice. I also expect him to play on Thursday. He went for 39 yards on five catches and eight targets this past week.

Fellow TE Donald Parham was also estimated as a limited participant in Monday’s practice. Parham only had two targets in week 14, making one catch for 11 yards.

Everett is a guy I’d lean toward starting, especially in PPR leagues. He was a nice safety valve option for Stick this past week, and could be again in week 15. I’d avoid Parham in all formats.  The matchup on paper is pretty average.

Finally, let's get back to Stick as a potential starting option. This is a tougher matchup for quarterbacks, and even though he was solid in week 14, I would avoid starting Stick in week 15 if possible. His fantasy outlook would rise a bit if everyone that's injured were to play, but I'd still try to avoid Stick.

Make sure to check back closer to Thursday’s game to get any additional analysis and news on the Chargers’ offense.