The Seattle Seahawks are looking for offensive answers, while the Los Angeles Rams may have to go without Davante Adams. And here is the fantasy football start ‘em, sit ‘em advice for their Week 16 showdown.
Both teams stand at 11-3 on the season. They are tied for first place in the NFC West, one game ahead of the 49ers. And the winner earns the inside track to the No. 1 overall seed.
Despite being on the road, the Rams are favored by 1.5.
Start ‘em — Rams QB Matthew Stafford
Look, you have to roll with Stafford. It’s late in the season, and his stats are MVP-level. He has thrown for 3,722 yards with 37 touchdowns and five interceptions.
But here are the issues. The Seahawks stoned him the first time. Stafford was 15 of 28 for a season-low 130 yards. But he did have two touchdown tosses.
The Seahawks' defense is magnificent. They are allowing only 17.3 points per game, which is second in the NFL to the Texans. They’re good against the run and the pass.
Furthermore, Stafford won’t have Adams and his 14 touchdown receptions.
But you have to lean on Stafford to break down the wall. Stafford certainly has the respect of Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, according to a post on X by Brady Henderson via Sports Illustrated.
“[He’s] obviously a great player … only gone against him a few times in my career, but this is probably the best I’ve seen him play,” Macdonald said earlier this season. “He’s playing great football. He’s decisive, they’re putting him in great situations, diagnosing defenses at a really high level, handling the protections at a really high level. They’re really explosive right now.”
Look for Stafford to finish in the neighborhood of 250 yards with a pair of scores. Not bad against this defense.
Start ‘em — Rams RBs Kyren Williams
I get it. Bo Crum is a problem. He’s a yardage poacher who is coming off three straight good games. And the issue against the Seahawks is that there probably won’t be but a handful of decent runs available.
Corum had next to nothing in the first meeting, while Williams went for 91 yards on 12 rushes. But who’s to say that Corum won’t find the seam this time and wind up with the better, or near-equal day?
However, you have to lean on Williams in a big game. It’s tough to do for a Thursday Night game that looks defensive. And if you have someone close to Williams, maybe you sit him. But you probably don’t.
The best thing for Williams is the absence of Adams. The Rams will have no choice but to give their running backs a few more shots at the end zone without Adams to gobble up red zone targets.
The Rams can’t rely on second-tier receivers to get it done, though they may try, according to abcnews.go.com.
“We’ll probably just go out there with 10 guys and just see what happens,” Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said with a grin Monday. “No, I’m just kidding. You guys have seen how valuable [Adams has] been for us in so many different ways. He’s still playing at that high clip, and we’re just hoping for the best.”
Sit ‘em — Seahawks QB Sam Darnold
There’s a better option somewhere. You can’t rely on Darnold against the Rams' defense. There’s too much recent history.
Darnold lost with the Vikings twice to the Rams last year. In the playoffs, he suffered nine sacks as his team got pummeled, 27-9. Earlier this season, he turned in one of the more forgettable performances of his career, completing 29 of 44 passes for 279 yards but throwing four interceptions with zero touchdown passes in a tight 21-19 decision.
Darnold said he knows he must be better, according to Seahawks.com.
“It's unacceptable,” Darnold said. “We understand as an offense, we have to be better. I have to be better at protecting the football. And we're doing everything that we can in practice for when the game comes to try to take care of the football a little bit better.
“For me, I've got to go through my progressions, listen to my feet, and be able to not necessarily get stuck on one or two guys and be able to move on in the progression. Especially with the guys that they have on defense, they did a really good job disguising. And it's just about keeping my eyes down the middle of the field and just moving from there. Keeping my eyes down the middle of the field, seeing the shell a little bit better. And just getting to the right spots with the ball.”
The spotlight will be bright. And that’s when Darnold tends to go into a shell. If the Rams get high pressure on him, you'll wish he wasn't in your fantasy football lineup.
As for other advice …
Start — Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Puka Nacua
Sit — Kenny Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, Bo Corum, all other receivers and tight ends
