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Justin Herbert plays just three snaps in preseason game vs. 49ers

Justin Herbert played limited role in Chargers' preseason game

First seen Aug 21, 2026 · 2:33 AM UTC · last updated Aug 21 2:44 AM

Scoring Zone's Take

Herbert's limited preseason snaps against the 49ers are exactly what you want to see from a locked-in starting quarterback this time of year — nothing more than standard veteran load management, not an injury designation or a competition for the job. Both sources describe this in routine terms, and the impact here is mild and speculative at best given the modest confidence rating attached to this news.

For draft prep purposes, this changes nothing about Herbert's outlook. He remains the unquestioned starter in Los Angeles heading into the regular season, and limited preseason work is standard practice for established QB1s who don't need to prove anything in exhibition games. Continue to draft and value him as a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 in your rankings based on his career arc and the weapons around him, not based on this preseason snap count.

Action item: no roster move is warranted here. Don't be tempted to draft him lower over this news, and don't drop him from watchlists or bump his ADP down in mock drafts. If you're building a QB tier list, keep Herbert right where he was before this report. The only thing worth monitoring as the preseason progresses is whether any beat reporters attach an actual injury or snap-count concern to him in the final week of exhibition play — but as of now, this is a non-story for fantasy purposes. Treat this as background noise rather than a signal.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was on the field for Thursday night’s preseason game against the 49ers.

Coverage from Yahoo Sports Nfl · read original