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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert entered the 2022 season as one of the best fantasy football quarterback options. He was coming off a strong QB2 finish in 2021 while averaging 23.22 fantasy points per game. Herbert surely had the upside in one of the league's top offenses to finish as the number one overall quarterback last season.
Unfortunately, Herbert put together a mediocre 2022 campaign, throwing for 4,739 yards and a career-low 25 touchdowns. The 25-year-old quarterback will look to get back on track this year with the help of a rookie wide receiver in Quentin Johnston and a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore.
Will those additions help Herbert get back to a top-five quarterback status? Let's take a look.
Justin Herbert 2022 Season
There were several reasons why Herbert wasn't as efficient in his third season in the NFL. For starters, he fractured his rib cartilage in Week 2 and the injury lingered for multiple weeks. The Chargers quarterback played through the injury but it's an ailment that usually takes up to six weeks to fully heal.
On top of that, his two top wide receivers, Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, missed a combined 11 games in 2022. Williams and Allen were only on the field for four full games together (Weeks 14-17). It was an injury-riddled year for the Chargers offense, which hurt Herbert's fantasy value.
The 25-year-old signal caller was still a weekly fantasy quarterback starter, though, with eight top-10 finishes. He finished as the QB11 while averaging 17.07 points per game. However, Herbert finished with just two top-five quarterback finishes last season and only had one game above 25 fantasy points.
Will Justin Herbert Be A Top-5 Fantasy Quarterback In 2023?
As inconsistent as Herbert was last year, there were plenty of positives in a down year for the former first-round pick. He threw the second-most attempts -- and the most of his career -- in the league last season with 699. He also finished top three in completion percentage (68.2) and second in passing yards (4,739).
Herbert will now be fully healthy entering the 2023 season after getting surgery on his non-throwing shoulder this off-season. The Chargers also drafted the aforementioned Johnston in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The rookie will pair with veterans Allen and Williams to form an elite trio in Los Angeles' passing game.
Herbert has the weapons and talent to easily finish as a top-five fantasy quarterback in 2023. He's done it before and with a new offensive coordinator that loves to pass at a high rate, he could do it again. The 25-year-old could easily exceed his 699 career-high attempts this season in a faster-paced offense.
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