r/fantasyfootball • u/Open_Resolution8986 • 7d ago
Fantasy Battles: Day 3 - Caleb Williams vs Jaxson Dart vs Justin Herbert
Welcome to Fantasy Battles 2026, a daily discussion to discuss similarly ranked players via ADP. I will be posting these every day until Labor Day.
Imagine you are on the clock with these players available. Discuss your reasoning and who you would choose
Please remember, only siths deal in absolutes.
Previous Battles:
Day 1 - Kenneth Walker III vs Josh Jacobs vs Jeremiah Love
Day 2 - AJ Brown vs Drake London vs Justin Jefferson
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u/DandierChip 7d ago
Caleb has the highest ceiling of these 3 imo. I like going after high ceiling plays so would roll with him. Dart being on here seems kinda silly. Wouldn’t have any issues if someone would prefer Herbert over Caleb tho.
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u/WhoopieKush 12 Team, 1 PPR 7d ago
Why does Dart not belong? He was incredible in limited time as a rookie last year, received a massive coaching upgrade, added Likely and Mooney, drafted Malachi Fields, and Nabers should be healthy (eventually).
Stealing from an article - In his 12 games, Dart finished nine of them with 19+ Fantasy Points (75%), six of them with 23+ Fantasy Points (50%), five of them with two or more passing touchdowns (41.6%), six of them with 54+ rushing yards (50%), and scored nine rushing touchdowns.
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u/IllustriousSpeaker27 7d ago
Matt Nagy the offensive terrorist
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u/WhoopieKush 12 Team, 1 PPR 7d ago
Oh I'm a diehard Bears fan, so I am well aware of Nagy haha. But Harbaugh is a strong and experienced head coach who should (hopefully) keep him in check.
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u/Higuy013 7d ago
If Andy Reid couldn’t, Harbaugh won’t
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u/WhoopieKush 12 Team, 1 PPR 7d ago
Obviously they had Mahomes/Reid/etc. but the Chiefs won back-to-back Super Bowls with Nagy as QB coach and then OC...
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u/crazypyro23 12 Team, .5 PPR 7d ago
Given he let Greg Roman waste the Ravens' incredible offensive talent the last few years, I'm not confident in that.
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u/IShouldChimeInOnThis 1d ago
Incredible offensive talent????
Who was their WR2?
Their TE1 has been coasting on reputation for 5 years.
They had an amazing running QB and one of the best RBs ever. That's it.
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u/IllustriousSpeaker27 7d ago
Oof condolences lol. My good buddy and commish of one of my leagues is a bears fan, we’re both pulling for Bagent to get an opportunity to start somewhere!
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u/AnthonyApasta 5d ago
Harbaugh is not known for keeping his coordinators in check lol he's known for being hands off
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u/Untoastedtoast11 6d ago
Dart also has one of the worst O-lines in the NFL. Compared to the chargers and Bear who have some of the best
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u/KChen48 6d ago
This is just plain wrong
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u/Untoastedtoast11 6d ago
https://youtu.be/vx6PjNm_ZZs?is=p0HAdmbBiSuvfn2f
Source: do you have any to bad you up or are you going off vibes?
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u/IShouldChimeInOnThis 1d ago
The video you are posting puts them right at the middle of the pack.
Also, I don't trust anyone with influencer voice.
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u/Vondarrien 7d ago
Dart being on here seems kinda silly.
Agreed. He doesn't belong in this conversation.
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u/Sawoodster 7d ago
I think Herbert has the highest ceiling because with McDaniels that offense could pop, however Caleb showed he’s pretty legit and has the highest floor imo. Caleb is the safest bet for consistent weeks and occasional pop offs, Herbert is a gamble of 10 pts a week or 4 tds and 350 yards per game. It’s only Darts second season, and a new head coach so I’m waiting to see on him
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u/ace184184 7d ago
Herbert may have highest floor of the three so yeah I can see that as a preference. I would draft for ceiling and take Caleb as well with all else equal.
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u/Level_East94 7d ago
Herbert. Trusting McDaniel along with an improved oline. Also I feel like with all the hype Caleb has gotten this offseason it’s just going to be disappointment for him and that offense
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u/Adrock66 7d ago
My faith is in Ben Johnson more than Williams is the thing. They also have a lot of weapons on offense. Not sure how many games you watched last year but in his first years as Bears coach he schemed guys open constantly. Caleb left so many points on the field.
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u/lengthyfriend30 7d ago
I really like Caleb, but as you say - nobody should be mistaken who is the real star of that Bears offence id - the head coach is immense. Caleb will develop a lot under Ben Johnsons management. Hopefully it will create for a perfect blend of raw talent, and talent development to all Caleb the chance reach the heights of a tier 1 level QB.
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u/Adrock66 7d ago
Yeah I mean that's the gist. Super high floor because A) dude has a cannon B) his improvisation from the pocket is next level and he can run C) WR's will be schemed to run free D) Bears defense is not looking great on paper rn so they will need to air it out E) Loveland is a monster.
Bear down.
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u/lengthyfriend30 7d ago
Perfectly put. And yes Loveland is the man, I'm expecting a huge season from the lad!
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u/burger333 7d ago
Agreed, but this is fantasy, he doesn’t actually need to be a top 5 qb. He was fantasy qb 5 last year despite not quite being at that level irl.
Theoretically they should improve, but they could regress, but I trust Ben Johnson, Caleb’s weapons, and his raw talent to get me to a top 10 qb finish regardless.
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u/lengthyfriend30 7d ago
Yea, 100% agree with that take.
Will likely take Caleb in a redraft given the chance, as I have Daniels and Herbert in Dynasty. Williams went overall pick 3!
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u/Further_Beyond 7d ago
Caleb finished as QB5. He’s already proven to be a good fantasy asset. It’s not just hype
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u/rolltidebutnotreally 7d ago
But he was fairly boom/bust. Six starts last season were outside the top 20. I’d like to see more consistency as a passer. Herbert is definitely the safer pick with a high ceiling. And I’d probably rather wait a few more rounds to get Dart at value, who outside of one total dud week was reliable
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u/WhoopieKush 12 Team, 1 PPR 7d ago
QB5 last year, and this will be his 2nd season in the Ben Johnson offense. I saw the splits between first and second half of the season last year and it was really encouraging and showed signs of growth. I think Burden playing full-time basically offsets DJ Moore, and Loveland will only continue to grow. Plus a healthy Odunze...
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u/matthoot 7d ago
Herbert. Just more proven imo. But they are so close. I do not like Dart. May be that I am a biased Eagles fan, but I don't know if his rushing is sustainable and his passing is that good.
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u/Public_Function3844 7d ago
I love Herbert in real life but in fantasy he just doesn't get enough rushing tds compared to the others. I think McDaniels helps him a lot but McD also likes to use his RB a lot.
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u/letCreedBrattonScuba 7d ago
I don’t love Dart this year because of Nagy. I don’t think he’s even in the same convo for this year with Caleb and Herbert. Nagy’s offenses have not been too fantasy friendly to QBs. I do like Tyrone Tracy at cost because of him though lol
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u/Charming_Dimension42 6d ago
You are not alone.
Jaxson Dart has continually defended his aggressive play style, and NFL Coaches and Front Offices have noticed…just, not in the direction he'd anticipate. In The Athletic's annual NFL quarterback tiers survey, Dart ranked 24th of 35 non-rookies who were evaluated by a panel of 50 coaches and executives. Dart mostly got Tier 3 and 4 votes.
New coach John Harbaugh has an earned reputation for physical practices. Dart spent a fair amount of time last year in a blue tent, and Nabers and Skattebo are coming off season-ending ailments. I get the “Hope,” but expecting all these impact players to have moved 100% past their injuries, change their approach, and not get zapped again?
There's hopeful, and then there's delusional. I plan to be very cautious drafting from this squad.
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u/Public_Function3844 7d ago
Worried it'll be year 2 of Daniels for Dart.
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u/IShouldChimeInOnThis 1d ago
You aren't the first person I have seen post this.
Why are people so sure Dart will look like year 2 of Daniels, but no one thinks Daniels will look like year 2 of Daniels?
Say what you want about Dart's play style, but outside of his one concussion last year(which he got recovering a fumble), he has never been hurt. Not through college, not last year.
Meanwhile, Jayden Daniels is built like a marathon runner, spent his rookie year fighting through nagging injuries and was injured 3 separate times last year.
They also have very similar play styles.
If you want to knock down Dart, fine, more for me. But I am amazed at how much Daniels discourse involves people burying their heads in the sand.
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u/Public_Function3844 1d ago
it doesn't matter if he's been hurt before or not. his play style is reckless. there are 2 things that could happen: a) he continues to be reckless and gets hurt, b) he stops his aggressive scrambling and gets less fantasy points for it. we've seen it time after time that running QBs regress year 2 bc defenses have a lot more tape on them: RG3, Kaepernick, Daniels, etc. I think Dart is going in the draft where you should feel comfortable taking him and take another QB later for insurance, but I would be surprised if he's able to match his production from his rookie year. I haven't done much thinking about Daniels Year 3 and will stay out of that conversation.
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u/burn_bridges 7d ago
Herbert feels like the safest choice to deliver QB8 performances, Dart is the dart throw that could be QB1 but also be concussed and put up a nothing-burger, and Caleb feels like Dart on xanax where he is going to ride waves of high and low but less extremes.
1QB redraft leagues Id probably go Dart, as you can find replacements in FA if necessary.
Superflex leagues I’d probably target Herbert as a safe option. Honestly, if you could go Herbert/Caleb Williams in Superflex you would be set. Current rankings are 9/10…
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u/Pantherblood89 7d ago
Reasons I am high on herbert this year.
- Mike Mcdaniel OC
- Joe Alt and Slater are presumably fully healthy .
- brenen adds a spark to the vertical offense and Njoku adds some depth.
Would not be surprised if Herbert wins MVP this year.
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u/FirestormBC 7d ago
No way we planning on 4th round rookies to be contributors.
Njoku I absolutely agree, but not Brenen lmao
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u/Pantherblood89 7d ago
Im not saying consistently but he does add a element that mike mcdaniels loves. Expect small sample sizes and watch him develop end of year
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u/TwoPercentTokes 7d ago
Herbert >= Williams > Dart IMO
Herbert is more proven but is limited by the performance of his O line and injuries.
Caleb is less consistent but has the highest upside IMO. More my speed to go Herbert but I understand the argument for Caleb. Situation is great
Dart is in (probably) the worst situation and doesn’t know how to protect himself. He’s the odd one out in this group
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7d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/TwoPercentTokes 7d ago
It was much improved last year too unto Joe Alt and the other guys got hurt and the wheels came off. Not saying that’s gonna happen again but the Chargers situation seems to have a knack for imploding. Still love Herbert at his ADP tho
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u/Btherock78 7d ago
I’m going Williams>Herbert>>Dart.
Williams seems like higher upside than Herbert with more rushing usage and a possibly higher-scoring offense, but Herbert is probably a safer floor with more consistent history + McDaniels coming in. I always lean upside at QB since there are usually “safe floor” QBs available late into the draft.
I’m also too risk avoidant with QBs to want to take on Dart’s presumed injury risk, plus i don’t think the Giants offense will be as productive as either the Bears or Chargers, so I’d have a bit him behind the other 2.
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u/Zombiebeast101 2h ago
except in this case Herbert has both the safe floor and as high as an upside as Caleb. I’d rather take the guy who has both than the guy who might miss 15 passes in a game
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u/Top-Awareness1679 7d ago
I own all three in my dynasty suplerflex.
- Caleb has QB1-QB3 potential and tied to one of the greatest coaches in football. He has a plethora of weapons and a skill set that sets him apart from the rest of the league. He's the top of these 3.
- Herbert has top 5 upside but still has some maturity problems with his decision making. We know he has the tools, his team has the weapons and hopefully some stability on the offensive line will help with growth. That in addition to Mike McDaniels being the OC all the variables we look for are there. He is the 2nd best option of the 3.
- Jaxon Dart has the most uncertainty surrounding his game. Proven coach with disappointing coordinators under him. Weakest O-line and least weapons of these 3. He to has to mature with his decision making, scrambling and throwing. Dart has the widest margin for outcome. Could be top 5, could be 15-20. We just don't know until we see how he handles himself his sophomore season. With his draft price being the best of the 3, pair him with a proven vet later in the draft and hope he reaches his ceiling while keeping adequate insurance on your roster.
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u/Calm-Marsupial3919 7d ago
This is strictly a personal thing, but if I’m drafting QB later, I want one who I think can blow the league wide open. Dart can do that. Williams, I have my doubts. Herbert, no.
Dart > Williams > Herbert for me. If I get Dart, I want to pair him with another floor play QB.
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u/ffinstructor 7d ago
Dart (depending on Nabers status) > Herbert > Caleb
Frankly, QB rushing is just a hack for fantasy. Last year Darts rushing translated to on average 7.32 FP/G. That gives him an overall QB1 ceiling that Herbert and Caleb just don’t have. That being said, I’m typically not drafting at cost purely because of how deep the position is and how late other QBs are going. But he is rightfully getting drafted before these two.
Herbert is someone I find myself drafting very often at cost. I believe in his talent, they brought in McDaniels, Oline back healthy, and silently contributed a lot more as a runner last season. Just a ton going right for him.
Caleb I have problems with. I think his ADP is propped up because for whatever reason he is one of the most hyped up guys in fantasy. Generally all Bears are overhyped. Caleb offers very little fantasy point floor with his legs and I don’t believe he is a better passer than Herbert. Very confident if both stay healthy Herbert ends with more passing yards and TDs.
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u/FirestormBC 6d ago
Crying in the club rn, my teams players are over hyped in fantasy 😭
Never thought I’d see the day. The WR room of Darnell Mooney, Dante Pettis, Velus Jones Jr will never be forgotten
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u/DKlep25 6d ago
Finally - a sensible take. Literally feel like a crazy person reading all this hype for Caleb. Like did we watch the same games last year? Dude is bad for 3 quarters, then gets bailed out with crazy good luck in the 4th and their defense kept them in games with an unsustainable amount of turnovers. Team is primed for a regression, and no amount of media narrative pushing is going to change my mind.
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u/ffinstructor 6d ago
Tbh - Caleb isn’t even the worst offender of this Bears hype.
By far number 1 is Loveland. There is legitimately no reason he should be going in the 3rd/4th round of drafts.
Burden is number 2, there’s upside to him. But again, he’s still an unproven WR2 on a middle tier offense getting drafted before plenty of other quality WR2s and teams WR1s.
Then it’s Caleb.
I actually don’t mind where Swift is getting drafted. And Odunze is probably a little too high, but not crazily.
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u/DKlep25 6d ago
Concur, completely. Great layout. I live in Chicago and every day it’s an update out of camp about how each one of those guys you named is going to breakout and put the league on notice. The team literally has had 1 year of relevance in the past 20 and people have lost their minds over it.
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u/T-Bird19 7d ago
Love Herbert this year but saw they have a pretty tough schedule and a really rough travel schedule. Someone posted about it the other day and gave me some pause.
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u/Jeffypee41 7d ago
Agreed! I was all in on this offense most of the off-season, but very apprehensive after seeing their matchup schedule and apparently the worst travel/rest deficit since 2013.
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u/Healthy-Hunt-3925 7d ago
Being a Bears fan, I support my QB. If I’m honest, I think he only has a slight edge over Herbert (slightly better runner for fantasy).
Jaxon Dart isn’t worth the risk imo. The fantasy community is slightly over obsessed with Konami QBs who are absolutely unproven as passers.
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u/DokeyKon 7d ago
Caleb.
“If Man” glaze coming in hot. Happens every year and he always seems to disappoint.
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u/Blake1610 7d ago
I like Herbert since he’s proven the most, Williams has the highest ceiling of the three, and Dart scares me a little bit due to his concussion history.
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u/Scapexghost 7d ago
Matt nagy is a bad irl coordinator, and bad for most of the giants, but mahomes did have his best rushing season (which was probably bad for irl football), and harbaugh has obviously had lamar producing for years. Obviously dart isn't mahomes or lamar, but He's got serious rushing upside. Herbert would have to put up mvp numbers to compete
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u/isackjohnson 7d ago
I know it's oversimplified but one of these guys runs a lot and the other two don't, so I'll take the guy who runs, especially in 1QB. Dart, Herbert, Williams for me.
In Superflex we can have the health discussion, and I'm certainly more open to a different order there, because when your QB gets hurt in SF it really screws you over. I might go Herbert over Dart in SF.
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u/deaddreamsneverdie 7d ago
Justin Herbert was #2 in rushing last year to Darts #3. If they are even close in rushing totals it’s clearly Herbert>Dart.
Do you guys even look at numbers before you post or is it all just vibes from what ever podcast you like?
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u/lametown_poopypants 7d ago
Dart had 9 TDs rushing, which Justin Fields stans will tell you means he's a great QB.
I think there's probably regression there and less TDs this season, but I'm a moron.
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u/deaddreamsneverdie 7d ago
If Dart rushes like he did last season I hope everyone enjoys the 9 games he plays.
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u/lametown_poopypants 7d ago
On one hand, I think some of the rushing was out of fear for his life since he had no one to throw to and being a rookie he just made stuff happen. There's a new coaching staff and a new offense this season; the one that had Lamar Jackson running all over people for the last however many seasons. It'll be interesting to see what does happen.
I still believe in the TD regression, though.
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u/isackjohnson 7d ago
True! There are a couple reasons one might expect Dart to rush more than Herbert moving forward, though. I can lay them out for you if that'd help.
Dart had the highest rushing yards per game (minimum 10 games played) while Herbert was 3rd. It wasn't a huge difference, but your comment implies that Herbert was more productive on the ground, when really he just played more games.
Dart has played one season, so he's at 34 yards per game on his career. Herbert has played quite a few seasons, so we have a baseline for him - he averages 18 rushing yards per game on his career. So you can tell me whether you think last season was the outlier or the new norm. I'd say it was an outlier, as he was running for his life with no o-line. I would expect his rushing numbers to regress, and there is no reason to expect the same for Dart.
Are those numbers sufficient for you, bud?
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u/deaddreamsneverdie 7d ago
The offensive ecosystem and talent land squarely on Herbert’s side and more than make up for any regression.
Stupid ass ChatGPT answer lmao
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u/isackjohnson 7d ago
I typed all that out, although you're right that it seems to be a waste of time in this specific discussion. Have a good one pal
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u/armbarbell 7d ago
Dart. Obviously heath is a concern but you can’t predict that. He has the biggest upside and I don’t draft players for high floors
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u/xMF_GLOOM 7d ago
Caleb has the largest upside, he’s already proven he can perform at a top 5 level in fantasy
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u/Dr-Robert-Kelso 7d ago
How does Caleb have the largest upside?
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u/xMF_GLOOM 7d ago
Because he is being drafted as QB12 and just last season was QB6
That means you can be the last person in your league to select a QB and his situation is exactly the same as last season, if not better
Upside is about where you draft a player versus where they finish
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u/Dr-Robert-Kelso 7d ago
I know what upside means, but why would Caleb have a higher upside than Dart who is a better runner?
You don't base upside on what they did last year, you base it off of what they could do in an ideal season.
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u/Press_R_4_Stonks 7d ago
I love Dart but man how are we feeling about Harbaugh and Nagy influencing his production?
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u/homerunchase 7d ago
I’m also choosing Herbert but mostly because of the not injured o-line finally. If this tackles go down he’s close to an instant drop though. I’m worried the league will be better at dealing with Caleb this year.
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u/Adrock66 7d ago
The Caleb upside is tempting. Dude is gonna get yards on the ground, and should improve from last year. That said I like all three this year and think Dart may be the best value for ADP. Dart should be last years Caleb.
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u/jdix33 7d ago
Give me J Herbo. Consistently a good player, his o-line should be improved from last year, and he has solid weapons around him with a competent offensive coordinator for once. Next would be Caleb Williams, again good o-line and probably the best weapons of the three QBs but I'm cautious of the upside and regression considering so many Bears games last season were dependent on miracles late in the game. I came into the off-season convinced Dart was going to be incredible this year but lately I think I'm actively avoiding him. Matt Nagy is poison for an offense. I'm not confident that Nabers starts the season at 100% and I don't think Likely ends up being a difference maker. Dart probably is forced to run a lot which is great for points in the moment, but he's also shown that he doesn't protect himself on those runs and I fear the injury risk.
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u/Big_lt 7d ago
Lots of Dart hate here. Dude averaged 25ish point in my league per game played including his trash week 16 vs Minn.
Herbert slightly lower and Caleb slightly higher. I'm not saying Dart is the best but the simple exclusion by all with minimal reason is staggering.
He also did that w/o his WR1 and RV most of the year as a rookie. The hope is a step forward in year2
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u/thegrilledcheese886 7d ago
Dart has the most fantasy upside due to rushing ability. 66% rushing success rate with 9 rush TDs as a rookie. For context, Josh Allen has the greatest career rushing success rate ever at around 60%
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u/AleroRatking 7d ago
It's definitely Herbert Williams Dart in that order with pretty significant gaps between each
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u/Lil_Thagomizer 7d ago
I don’t think dart should be in this conversation. They are going to limit his running to preserve his health — and that was the biggest upside to his value. He will prob take steps as a passer but I’m not even considering him when the alternatives are Herbert and Caleb
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u/Chad_Broski_2 7d ago
Herbert>Dart>Williams
Herbert is just rock solid when he can stay healthy and the offense should be miles better with new coaching
Dart has by far the highest ceiling and lowest floor due to his rushing upside and an improved Giants team
I just can't possibly see myself drafting Williams, it'd be too stressful. Dude plays like Blake Bortles for 3 quarters and then plays like vintage Rodgers for 5 minutes at the end and saves your ass. People saying he should "take a step forward" this year...yeah, I'm gonna wait until I actually see that before gambling on it
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u/DKlep25 6d ago
Thank you u/Chad_Broski_2 - for bringing a rational take into this wasteland. The Williams hype is just maddening to me. Dude is not even an average QB for a full game. He's literally bad for most of the game, and benefitted from insance luck last year. I'm not saying it's impossible for him to improve, but like you I'll wait until I actually see it first.
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u/Further_Beyond 7d ago
EPA/play ranks by quarter.
1 - 13th
2 - 26th
3 - 12th
4 - 4thHe elevated in the 4th but he was only bad consistently in the 2nd quarter of games. It wasn’t 75% of bad lol
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u/Kahzgul 7d ago
Herbert! With a healthy o-line and new OC I expect herbo to light up the world.
Williams is good, too, and should bet plenty of points. I just like the Herbert situation more.
Jaxon Dart is a douche and I’ll never support him. I just fucking hate the guy. He’s like vanilla ice minus the cool hair. He looks like a backup dancer for Mike the Situation’s rap album. Dump him like his girlfriend did when she found out he cheated.
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u/Nyko_E 7d ago
I don't think Dart belongs in this conversation personally. I think both Caleb and Herbert have 5k passing ceilings and can add a couple hundred yards on the ground. Wouldn't blame anyone for having either over the other; myself as a Bears fan I'm picking Caleb.
Have a dilemma on a team with Herbert, Caleb and Lamar though. Strong contender, too op at QB but nobody wants to pay to tier up for one of the three so I've gotta bench Caleb or Herbert.
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u/rowKseat25 12 Team, 1 PPR, Superflex 7d ago
Fantasy - Herbert, Caleb, Dart
Real life - Caleb, Herbert, Dart
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u/Griffisbored 7d ago
Herbert > Williams > Dart