The question of is Matthew Stafford playing in Week 10 came to prominence for fantasy football managers on Wednesday when we found out that he had been placed in the concussion protocol. Heading into Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams QB is still seemingly in the protocol but has yet to be ruled out.
Let’s take a look at the latest update regarding Stafford’s availability this week and the implications if he is absent.
Update: Matthew Stafford is inactive for the Rams in Week 10.
Is Matthew Stafford Playing Today?
While it seemed positive that Stafford was not ruled out on Saturday, the reports overnight from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was that John Wolford looks set to start for the Rams in Week 10. It will be interesting to see how things play out today in terms of if and when Stafford is officially ruled out.
If Stafford still has parts of the concussion protocol to clear, there is a limited chance for him to do that on Sunday morning. For fantasy managers, this uncertainty could roll on beyond the start of the 1 p.m. ET slate. In that case, the safest thing to do may be to assume that Stafford will not be playing this week.
Fantasy Implications for John Wolford, Cooper Kupp, Tyler Higbee, and More
Assuming that we are looking at Wolford under center, it appears to be a downgrade all around. Unless you play in 14-team Superflex formats, where every QB is started, then Wolford is a tough player to put in fantasy lineups this week. Stafford himself has struggled, averaging just 11.7 fantasy points per game this year, so if Wolford is seen as a downgrade, that is not promising.
In terms of data, we have little in the way of that for Wolford. He has only started one regular-season game in his career. Wolford played the final regular-season game of 2020, completing 22 of 38 passes for 231 yards and zero passing touchdowns. That output demonstrates the relatively low ceiling, not just for Wolford but for his pass-catching options this week.
In terms of those pass-catching options, Cooper Kupp sees a slight downgrade with this QB change. However, it is virtually impossible to even consider sitting him. He has slid to WR8 in Tommy Garrett’s Week 10 WR fantasy rankings but remains a WR1 option this week.
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The bigger impact is felt elsewhere. Allen Robinson has seen an increase in output in recent weeks, but this brings any of that to a stretching halt. Even with Stafford, Robinson was very much a touchdown-dependent fantasy option. While we are talking about a one-game sample size, Wolford clearly played with a stripped-down playbook in that game and likely will again this week.
Tyler Higbee is the more intriguing name this week. He sits as the TE11 in Garrett’s Week 10 TE fantasy rankings. Over the past few weeks, Higbee’s usage has declined significantly. He has not been over an 80% snap share on offense in those games while seeing a total of nine targets in that stretch. Prior to that, he had three games with double-digit targets and was averaging 9.6 targets per game in the first five games.
Therefore, trusting Higbee implicitly this week is tough to do. With the QB change, it could go either way. We could see Wolford looking to his tight end more as a comfort element, or we could see further struggles with a reduced passing game. That is why he is a fringe starting option this week rather than a must-start.