The Los Angeles Rams will face the Minnesota Vikings on Wild Card Weekend. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding QB Matthew Stafford.
Is Matthew Stafford Playing vs. the Vikings?
Stafford does not have an injury designation heading into the game this weekend. Barring any setbacks, he is on track to play vs. the Vikings.
We’ll continue to monitor the Rams’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Matthew Stafford on Wild Card Weekend?
This game of ours can be so complicated. The smarter we get, the more intricate play-calling gets and a team’s willingness to think outside of the box can make them difficult to project.
Other times, it’s so simple. Matthew Stafford threw for 279 yards and four scores against the Vikings in Week 8, a production level that was made possible by following a single principle.
Give your best players a chance.
In that win, Stafford funneled 70.6% of his passes (68% of his completions) to Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, or Kyren Williams. We can caution against building a top-heavy roster like what Los Angeles has, but in a one-game setting, it can be effective. At this point, that’s all that matters.
While I like the potential of this offense when everything is going right, I worry about the trajectory.
Stafford has completed a career-low 46.5% of his red-zone passes, and I’m less confident now as I can ever remember in his ability to rack up fantasy points through sheer volume (he hasn’t thrown more than 32 passes in a victory since Week 9).
Of course, that math flips if you think the Vikings control this game, as Stafford is averaging 38.7 attempts per game in defeats. I like the idea of the stars on this team getting a week off entering this game, though it should be noted that Stafford has been held under 200 passing yards in his last three contests after an official bye.
I’ve got this essentially as a neutral matchup. While I think this is a competitive game, there are six quarterbacks I’d rather back at cost this week, and that leaves me with no real exposure to Stafford. If things go right for the Rams, I think Williams is getting fed and if the game script flips, a pocket-locked QB isn’t how I want to beat Brian Flores’ aggression.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Wild Card Weekend Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Matthew Stafford’s Fantasy Points Projection on Wild Card Weekend
As of Saturday, Stafford is projected to score 17.2 fantasy points on Wild Card Weekend. This includes 276.1 passing yards, 1.7 passing touchdowns, and 0.9 interceptions. It also includes 1.5 rushing attempts for 1.9 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Matthew Stafford’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 8:30 AM ET on Sunday, January 12. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Wild Card Superflex Rankings.
Wild Card QB PPR Rankings
1) Josh Allen | BUF (vs. DEN)
2) Lamar Jackson | BAL (vs. PIT)
3) Jalen Hurts | PHI (vs. GB)
4) Jayden Daniels | WAS (at TB)
5) Baker Mayfield | TB (vs. WAS)
6) Sam Darnold | MIN (at LAR)
7) Bo Nix | DEN (at BUF)
8) Justin Herbert | LAC (at HOU)
9) Jordan Love | GB (at PHI)
10) Matthew Stafford | LAR (vs. MIN)
11) Russell Wilson | PIT (at BAL)
12) C.J. Stroud | HOU (vs. LAC)
13) Justin Fields | PIT (at BAL)
14) Kenny Pickett | PHI (vs. GB)
15) Jimmy Garoppolo | LAR (vs. MIN)
16) Kyle Trask | TB (vs. WAS)
17) Devin Leary | BAL (vs. PIT)
18) Nick Mullens | MIN (at LAR)
19) Mitchell Trubisky | BUF (vs. DEN)
20) Marcus Mariota | WAS (at TB)
21) Jarrett Stidham | DEN (at BUF)
22) Easton Stick | LAC (at HOU)
23) Davis Mills | HOU (vs. LAC)
24) Malik Willis | GB (at PHI)