Matthew Stafford

Week 2 vs. Atlanta Falcons

Matthew Stafford is coming off a less-than-stellar performance in Week 1 vs. the Buffalo Bills. Stafford only managed 240 yards on 41 attempts while throwing three INTs vs. one TD. Before we run for the hills, Stafford missed a lot of time this preseason nursing his elbow injury so rust should have been expected. Next, the matchup didn’t help as he squared off against the Bills’ number one ranked pass defense from 2021. Finally, outside of stud WR Cooper Kupp, Stafford was working with two new starters in the receiving core.

Heading into Week 2, Stafford should rebound right away as the Rams will face off vs. the Atlanta Falcons. In Week 1 Jameis Winston was able to put up a solid game going for 269 yards and two scores finishing as a top 12 QB on the week. Winston was efficient as he was top 10 in yards per attempt and fifth in 4for4’s adjusted yards per attempt. This softer matchup should help Stafford, but until he shows us he has knocked off the rust and found a connection with Robinson he's best viewed as a high-end QB2 instead of a top 12 option.

2022 Fantasy Upside
Matthew Stafford’s first season in Los Angeles was incredible. He ranked third among all quarterbacks in passing yards (4,886) and second in touchdown passes (41), en route to a Super Bowl Championship. The Rams even upgraded the wide receiver position by adding veteran Allen Robinson to play alongside reigning Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp. Our own Justin Edwards still ranks the Rams offensive line as eighth-best, after only allowing Stafford to be sacked 1.8 times per game, the fourth-best mark last season.

The 34-year-old Stafford only provided 43 total rushing yards, placing his per-game fantasy finish only at QB11. Consecutive QB24 and QB14 finishes during the fantasy playoffs took a little bit of shine off a spectacular overall season. Given his offensive weapons, solid o-line, and brilliant head coach in Sean McVay, Stafford is still a solid fantasy option at quarterback.

2022 Fantasy Downside
If Stafford can’t finish inside the positional Top 10 with 41 touchdown passes, when can he? There is such a multitude of running quarterbacks, Stafford’s overall fantasy upside is suppressed. With only 10 rushing touchdowns in 2021, the Rams scoring balance is likely to see an increase on the ground.

2022 Bottom Line
Stafford is a solid fantasy quarterback, but lacks true Top-5 upside because of his lack of rushing production. His QB24 finish in Week 16 was a championship killer, and highlights the benefit of more versatile signal-callers. Still, his likely output of 4,800 passing yards and 30-plus touchdown passes is tough to overlook.

Week 16 at Minnesota Vikings

A shorter than normal week is never welcomed, but at least Stafford’s opponent, the Vikings, will have one more day of rest and are not very good on defense. Minnesota is 31st in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks despite a strong performance against Chicago Week 15. The Vikings will need a perfect effort to stymy Stafford and his passing options.