Subscribe
Follow Us
After 12 years with the Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford found a new home when he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams.
It did not take long for fans to be happy with him under center. In just his first year with the Rams, Stafford led the team to the Super Bowl title. In the championship game win over the Cincinnati Bengals, he had 283 passing yards with three touchdowns and two picks. He also had 1,188 passing yards in the playoffs, the second-most in a single postseason. Because of his impact, Los Angeles signed him to a four-year extension worth $160 million.
The Rams have their starting quarterback, but does that mean he is a valuable fantasy football pick fort his upcoming season? There are some injury concerns, so here is the fantasy outlook for Matthew Stafford in the 2022 NFL season.
Matthew Stafford 2022 Fantasy Football Outlook
Matthew Stafford ended his first season with the Rams with 4,886 passing yards and a career-high 67.2% completion rate. He tied a personal best by adding 41 touchdowns, but also led the league with 17 interceptions. He finished the season third in passing yards and second in passing touchdowns.
One thing that also helped was that he had offensive triple-crown king Cooper Kupp to hook up with. The wideout led the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16). With a player coming off such an impactful season, it is difficult to ignore the numbers Stafford and Kupp can produce together every week.
It was also Stafford's first season under head coach Sean McVay. Leading a team to the Super Bowl in his first year under a new offensive scheme is something worth noting. Apparently the adjustment was very quick, and their work on the field paid off. In their second year together, it is likely their connection is even stronger, which could mean another long playoff run.
How did that translate to fantasy football? Matthew Stafford finished eighth in fantasy football points per game with 24.2. He also finished as QB5, behind names like Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady. However, he only had 4.3 points as a rusher, the lowest by the top-12 quarterbacks, according to CBS Sports.
Stafford only had a total of 43 rushing yards during the regular season without a touchdown on the ground. His rushing yards were also the lowest of his career, considering seasons he played most of the games. As teams now know about Kupp's talents, being a non-running quarterback could become a problem if your No. 1 target is well defended, though the addition of Allen Robinson should help matters.
Additionally, Stafford is dealing with elbow discomfort, which is limiting his time on the field during training camp. McVay said the injury is “abnormal” for a quarterback, which begs the question of how serious it really is. Reports indicate he should be good to go for Week 1, however, perhaps this injury might require some extra recovery time.
Fans need to keep an eye on all those factors when drafting for their fantasy leagues. Although there is no word that the injury is seriously affecting him and that he will miss extended time, it might be too much of a risk to spend a high draft pick on him.
If healthy, Matthew Stafford can easily be a top-10 quarterback against. Projections show the selections of the former No. 1 draft pick ranging between rounds seven and 10. Fans can monitor the available players and, if the Rams QB is their favorite, they can build around him before his selection.
