Week 10 at Chicago Bears
In the loss at Oakland last Sunday, Matthew Stafford had another terrific fantasy outing. He threw for a season-most 406 yards with three more TDs, marking the third straight game in which he’s tossed for at least three scores. Stafford has also passed for a minimum of 342 yards in the past three contests and his 19 touchdown passes via the air in ’19 are the second-highest in the league. It could be time for Stafford to fall back to Earth this week, however, as he’ll be on the road against the Bears No. 8 overall defense. Consider him a low QB1 play.
Week 9 at Oakland Raiders
Last Sunday was another big performance for Matthew Stafford and the Lions passing attack. Against the Giants, he finished with 342 yards and three scores, the fourth time in ’19 he’s tossed for at least three TDs. It was also Stafford’s second straight game over 300 yards and the third time he’s done that this season. In seven games he’s thrown 16 touchdowns versus four picks. Even on the road, Stafford has another good matchup against the third-worst pass defense, so he remains a QB1 play.
Week 8 vs. New York Giants
Facing a good Vikings defense last Sunday, Matthew Stafford had his best game of the season. He threw for 364 yards and four TDs – all to Marvin Jones. It was his first 300-yard performance since Week 1 and the first time he’s tossed for four scores since September of ‘17. In his previous four outings, Stafford was averaging 250 yards through the air, with six total touchdowns during that span. Remaining at home this week versus the Giants No. 23 pass defense, Stafford makes for a solid QB1 play.
Week 7 vs. Minnesota Vikings
In the last second loss at Green Bay last Monday, Matthew Stafford got off to a great start in the first quarter. Aided by deep passes to Kenny Golladay and Marvin Hall, Stafford was quickly over 130 yards, but finished with 265 yards and no TD tosses for the first time this season. He hasn’t posted a 300-yard outing since Week 1 and has completed only 58% of his passes the past three contests. At home on Sunday Stafford will be going against a Minnesota defense that is No. 7 against the pass.
Week 6 at Green Bay Packers
Two weeks ago versus the Chiefs, Matthew Stafford passed for nearly 300 yards and three TDs. Through the first four games, he’s tossed for nine scores and is averaging 280 yards per outing. After the week off Stafford and the Lions will be at Green Bay on Monday night. Dak Prescott just threw for over 450 yards versus the Packers defense, but much of that came after the Cowboys were well behind. In what should be a more competitive contest, Stafford is more of a QB2 play against what has been a decent pass defense.
Week 4 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
In the win over the Eagles last week Matthew Stafford threw for just 201 yards and a TD. The Lions lost a possession after returning a kickoff to the house and ran just 60 total offensive plays. Stafford hit nine different pass catchers, but half of his yardage and the touchdown went to Marvin Jones, while Kenny Golladay caught only two passes. Stafford and the Lions offense will have to be on their A-game at home versus the high-scoring Chiefs on Sunday. Kansas City’s defense is allowing over 250 passing yards per game, so this could be a good week to start Stafford.
Week 3 at Philadelphia Eagles
In the comeback win over the Chargers last week, Matthew Stafford threw for 245 yards and two TDs, connecting with seven pass catchers along the way. In two weeks, he’s averaging over 300 yards and tossed for five scores. The Eagles defense has struggled against the pass so far, but even with the hot start, Stafford remains more of a QB2 play on the road.
Week 2 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
What an opening fantasy game Matthew Stafford posted last week at Arizona. He threw for nearly 400 yards and three TDs, with 13 of his 27 completions and two of his three scores going to new Lions TE T.J. Hockenson and Danny Amendola. The Chargers defense allowed Jacoby Brissett to complete over 75% of his passes for two touchdowns last week, so Stafford should be in line for another strong performance at home. However, he's still more of a QB2 start.
Week 1 at Arizona Cardinals
After seven straight 4,000-yard seasons, Matthew Stafford threw for less than 3,800 yards in ’18. With the help of a rushing attack, it’s anticipated that he’ll attempt fewer passes this year. The Cardinals had the fourth-best pass defense last season but will be without the suspended Patrick Peterson on Sunday. Stafford threw for just 101 yards in a defensive struggle last December at Arizona. Consider him more of a QB2 play on the road.
Fantasy Upside
Over the past eight seasons, Matthew Stafford has not missed a game, thrown for at least 20 TDs and completed at least 360 passes. While completing nearly 66 percent of his attempts the last three years, he has also done a good job of taking care of the ball, tossing an average of just 10 INTs during that span.
Fantasy Downside
After seven consecutive seasons of throwing for at least 4,200 yards, Stafford’s total dipped to under 3,800 in ’18. His 21 TD tosses were the fewest he’s thrown since ’12 and only once in the past seven seasons has he thrown for more than 30 scores. He averaged just 6.8 yards per completion, the lowest since ’12. Without his safety valve, Golden Tate, to throw to starting in November of last year, it seemed Stafford and the Lions offense tended to struggle, as all three of his 300-yard games came with Tate in the lineup.
Bottom Line
Between Tate getting traded and various injuries to Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Theo Riddick, there were a lot of moving parts in the Lions passing attack in ’18. As this regular season begins, Stafford will have his main weapons along with the additions of Danny Amendola and TEs T.J. Hockenson and Jesse James - all which should help, especially in the red zone. Stafford has been about as consistent as they come and that shouldn’t change this year. Look for him to remain a low QB1 option, throwing for around 4,000 yards and 25 TDs.
