Week 8 v. Green Bay Packers
Jared Goff completed 18-of-24 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns in the Rams’ Week 7 win over the 49ers. Goff has cooled off since his hot start but he remains a fantasy starter thanks to his touchdown potential. He also has a great matchup on Sunday when the Rams host a Packers team that was shredded by C.J. Beathard two weeks ago at Lambeau. Ranked as QB2 for Week 8, Goff is a must-start for Sunday.
Week 7 at San Francisco 49ers
Jared Goff completed 14-of-28 passes for 201 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception in the Rams’ 23-20 win over the Broncos. It was the first time this season that Goff did not score a touchdown pass. He wasn’t needed, however, as Todd Gurley rushed for over 200 yards against Denver’s defense. Unfortunately for Goff and the Rams, the team will not have slot receiver Cooper Kupp on Sunday when they travel to Santa Clara. The good news? The 49ers own the No. 27 fantasy defense against quarterbacks, so this is a great matchup. Ranked as our QB3 for Week 7, start Goff against the Niners.
Week 6 at Denver Broncos
Jared Goff completed 23-of-32 passes for 321 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the Rams’ Week 5 win in Seattle. Goff took a step back from his impressive performance the week before versus the Vikings but he still led the Rams to their fifth consecutive victory. He has now thrown for at least 320 yards in four straight weeks and as we noted a week ago, he’s a legitimate QB1. Ranked as our QB6 for Week 6, he’s a good start against the Broncos, who allowed three touchdowns to rookie Sam Darnold a week ago.
Week 5 at Seattle Seahawks
Jared Goff completed 26-of-33 passes for 466 yards and five touchdowns in the Rams’ Week 4 win over the Vikings. Deemed more of a “system quarterback” a year ago, there’s little doubt following his performance last week that Goff has reached another level. Goff benefits from playing in Sean McVay’s quarterback-friendly system but he’s also making indefensible throws on a weekly basis. Firmly in the QB1 conversation, feel free to start Goff again on Sunday when the Rams travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks. He ranks as our QB7 for Week 5.
Week 4 vs. Minnesota Vikings
Jared Goff completed 29-of-36 passes for 354 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in the Rams’ Week 3 win over the Chargers. That’s now back-to-back games with 354 passing yards for the third-year quarterback. He continues to thrive in Sean McVay’s offense, although Thursday night will be a challenge when the Vikings come to town. Ranked as our No. 10 QB for Week 4, Goff is a low-end QB1 for Thursday night. Rookie Josh Allen moved the ball effectively versus Minnesota last Sunday and the Vikings will be without their top pass-rusher Everson Griffen (personal). Thus, don’t bench Goff unless you have one of the top-ranked quarterbacks. He’s a viable starting option despite the matchup.
Week 3 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Jared Goff completed 24-of-32 passes for 354 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the Rams’ Week 2 victory over the Cardinals. Goff left fantasy points on the table, as he missed an open Robert Woods in the end zone on one pass and underthrew Brandin Cooks on another scoring opportunity. The Rams will host the Chargers in Week 3. While the Bolts’ defense has been suspect the first two weeks without Joey Bosa, Goff does not project as a fantasy starter for Sunday. Ranked as our No. 17 QB for Week 3, avoid Goff.
Week 2 vs. Arizona Cardinals
Jared Goff completed 18-of-33 pass attempts for 233 yards with two touchdowns in the Rams’ Week 1 victory over the Raiders. The game script didn’t go Goff’s way, as the Rams started to pull away in the second half and essentially didn’t use their quarterback in the fourth quarter. Goff will get a good matchup with the Cardinals, whom Alex Smith completed 21-of-30 passes for 255 yards and a pair of touchdowns against a week ago. Our No. 13 QB for Week 2, Goff is a streaming option for deeper leagues but there are better options available, including Smith (who faces the Colts) and Tyrod Taylor of the Browns (who travel to New Orleans to face a Saints team that just got torched by Ryan Fitzpatrick).
Week 1 at Oakland Raiders
Jared Goff took a massive step in his development a year ago under Sean McVay. Some considered him a bust after just one season but once he received some actual coaching, he turned into a legitimate NFL starter. While not a full-time QB1, Goff does have some streaming appeal and ranks as our No. 12 QB for Week 1. He has a great matchup against a Khalil Mack-less Raiders defense on Monday night, so if you’re in need of a starter, Goff should net you 17+ points.
Fantasy Upside
Arguably no player in the NFL showed as much improvement from the previous season than Jared Goff. Under Jeff Fisher's guidance, Goff looked hopeless as a rookie in 2016. He would throw inaccurately into triple coverage, even when he had time to throw in rhythm, or he'd make pre-determined decisions without reading the defense, which contributed to his inefficiency. He was a mess. Then the Rams hired Sean McVay, gave Goff a better supporting cast (Andrew Whitworth, Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins), and seemingly overnight he went from a potential bust into playoff starter.
From a fantasy perspective, Goff also jumped from QB37 as a rookie all the way up to QB12 in 2017. Heading into 2018, Goff will once again have Woods, Todd Gurley, slot receiver Cooper Kupp, and newcomer Brandin Cooks at his disposal. The key for Goff, however, is McVay, who arguably ran the most quarterback-friendly offense in the NFL last season. If McVay stays ahead of defensive coordinators again this year, Goff could make a jump into the top 10 at the position.
Fantasy Downside
Again, Goff made a huge jump from 2016 to 2017. There's no debate. There's still plenty of room for improvement, however. Goff did have a problem with sacks last year and often threw short of the sticks on third downs. McVay's system produced a lot of yards after catch (YAC) production but if defenses tighten up this season, then Goff's production could suffer. The Rams were also incredibly healthy a year ago and if their offensive line has issues like it did in the Wild Card matchup against the Falcons last year, Goff could suffer a regression as well. The Rams will face a tougher schedule than they did a year ago and while McVay owns one of the most explosive offenses in the league, that doesn't mean Goff is foolproof as a fantasy starter.
2018 Bottom Line
We have Goff ranked as our No. 14 QB heading into the year and that's a perfect spot for him. He's not going to be as good as he was a year ago, facing a tougher schedule and opponents that had an entire season worth of film on McVay's offense. Goff isn't a bad option later in the draft if there's a run on QBs and you fill up on other positions. Just understand that he's more likely in store for a small regression as opposed to another leap.
Wild Card Round vs. Atlanta Falcons
Jared Goff sat out of the Rams' Week 17 loss to the 49ers in preparation for the first round of the playoffs. The second-year signal-caller flourished under Sean McVay this season, finishing the regular season with 3,804 yards, 28 touchdown passes, and just 7 interceptions. He'll face an Atlanta defense on Saturday night ranked 19th against fantasy quarterbacks this season. Cam Newton, Alex Smith, and Drew Brees are better fantasy options this weekend, but Goff is the best of the rest. Ranked as our No. 4 QB for Wild Card weekend, he should post decent numbers this weekend.
