Justin Herbert vs Patrick Mahomes: Who Should You Start?
Deciding between Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes is a common lineup dilemma for fantasy managers. The Los Angeles Chargers quarterback put up 18.7 PPG in 2025 over 16 games; Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs averaged 21.2 in 14. A 2.5-point margin that could shift on any given week.
The per-game difference of 2.5 points favors Patrick Mahomes, though savvy managers know that gap can shrink or widen depending on the weekly slate. Defensive matchup, recent scoring trends, and health status all shift the calculus from one quarterback to the other.
Both are dual-threat quarterbacks. Justin Herbert added 498 rushing yards and Patrick Mahomes chipped in 422, which gives them a higher weekly floor than traditional pocket passers when defenses take away the deep ball. That rushing production is the biggest reason their ceilings look different from drop-back QBs, and it is the stat that typically separates them on tough passing matchups.
Justin Herbert has his bye in Week 5, and Patrick Mahomes rests in Week 6. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at quarterback for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
