It’s all coming together for the Los Angeles Chargers at the right time. Winners of seven of the past eight games, LA has clinched its playoff spot and has a path to winning both the AFC West and the No. 1 seed if things break right. But, first things first, a Saturday matchup with the red-hot Houston Texans. If Justin Herbert and his squad want to make noise in the playoffs, this is a great chance to test their mettle.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Chargers are 1.5-point favorites, with the point total set at 39.5. Here is my favorite Justin Herbert prop bet for Saturday afternoon’s AFC showdown.
Best Justin Herbert Prop Bet for Texans vs. Chargers
Justin Herbert 30+ Rushing Yards
An injury to your quarterback can derail everything in a hurry. Chargers fans were holding their collective breath after Herbert suffered a fracture in his left hand against the Raiders in Week 13, but he’s managing to play through it. And it’s having a curious effect on his production.
Before the injury, LA’s franchise quarterback was throwing for 236.8 yards per game while averaging 29.4 yards per game on the ground. Since that fateful day against the Raiders, Herbert is down to 216.3 yards per game, but his rushing average has jumped to 36 yards. You’d assume the guy playing with a fractured hand would be getting the ball out quickly and avoiding contact at all costs; instead, Herbert seems to relish his chances to run.
With injuries and ineffectiveness crushing his offensive line, Herbert finds himself playing out of an unclean pocket more often than not. Facing this vaunted Texans secondary, he’s going to scramble into space only to find his receivers blanketed. That means one thing is left: taking off into open space.
It may not be pretty, but the opportunity will be there for Herbert to run. We’ve seen it all season long; only Josh Allen has more rushing yards by a quarterback this season. He’ll take whatever he can get against this Texans defense.
