The Los Angeles Rams will face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9. 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 in Week 9?
Stafford is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
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 in Week 9?
The Seahawks’ defense has largely been able to shut down inept passing games while proving vulnerable against even semi-stable ones, making them a legitimate target now that the Rams have their impact receivers back and get the benefit of the mini-bye after beating the Vikings last Thursday night.
Weeks 1 and 8 (with both star receivers):
- 19.7 fantasy points per game
- 71.1% complete
- 6% touchdown rate
- 77.9 pressured passer rating
Weeks 2-7 (without at least one of his star receivers):
- 8.1 fantasy points per game
- 65.8% complete
- 1.3% touchdown rate
- 39.9 pressured passer rating
It didn’t take long to see the impact health had on Stafford — 6.6 first-quarter fantasy points last week (three games prior: 5.7). Logic would state that the Cooper Kupp/Puka Nacua tandem is near impossible to guard man-to-man, and that makes Stafford’s production against zone with his favorite targets in the mix all that more meaningful as that is the most likely direction defenses go.
Stafford’s EPA vs. zone:
- Week 8: 11.75
- Week 1: 0.81
- Week 3: -1.22
- Week 4: -2.23
- Week 5: -2.51
- Week 7: -3.29
- Week 2: -12.88
I could throw 1,000 more numbers at you, but I’ll spare you all of the nerding out. It goes without saying that Stafford’s limitations as a runner cap his ceiling (though he did look athletic in avoiding a sack before finding Kupp in the end zone last week). But with L.A.’s defense underwhelming, he’s going to be put in a position to produce big numbers from the pocket.
Stafford is flirting with QB1 status this week for me, and you could certainly justify playing him over preseason MVP front-runners C.J. Stroud or Patrick Mahomes.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 9 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Matthew Stafford’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 9
Stafford is projected to score 14.2 fantasy points in Week 9. This includes 234.4 passing yards, 1.3 passing touchdowns, and 0.7 interceptions. It also includes 1.1 rushing attempts for 1.7 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insights: Seattle Seahawks Defense
The Seattle Seahawks padded their stats nicely in the early part of the season, but there were some warning signs that this defense might not last, which has proven to be the case. They have now ranked in the bottom half of teams in each of the last five weeks and have allowed 28 points or more in four of those games.
The hope was that their ability to generate pressure without blitzing, which they rank fourth in this season, would see them improve as the year went on, but that has not been the case. Based on the way this is trending, this could be a bottom-10 unit before long. That could still be an improvement on last year’s 29th-ranked performance, but it would be a hollow “win.”
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Matthew Stafford’s Week 9 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 6:00 AM ET on Thursday, January 2. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 18 QB PPR Rankings
1) Lamar Jackson | BAL (vs. CLE)
2) Jayden Daniels | WAS (at DAL)
3) Baker Mayfield | TB (vs. NO)
4) Joe Burrow | CIN (at PIT)
5) Sam Darnold | MIN (at DET)
6) Jared Goff | DET (vs. MIN)
7) Jordan Love | GB (vs. CHI)
8) Bo Nix | DEN (vs. KC)
9) Justin Herbert | LAC (at LV)
10) Kyler Murray | ARI (vs. SF)
11) Bryce Young | CAR (at ATL)
12) Drake Maye | NE (vs. BUF)
13) Russell Wilson | PIT (vs. CIN)
14) Geno Smith | SEA (at LAR)
15) Joe Flacco | IND (vs. JAX)
16) Caleb Williams | CHI (at GB)
17) Michael Penix Jr. | ATL (vs. CAR)
18) Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (vs. MIA)
19) Mason Rudolph | TEN (vs. HOU)
20) Aidan O'Connell | LV (vs. LAC)
21) Mac Jones | JAX (at IND)
22) Kenny Pickett | PHI (vs. NYG)
23) Tanner McKee | PHI (vs. NYG)
24) Cooper Rush | DAL (vs. WAS)
25) C.J. Stroud | HOU (at TEN)
26) Drew Lock | NYG (at PHI)
27) Carson Wentz | KC (at DEN)
28) Jimmy Garoppolo | LAR (vs. SEA)
29) Tyler Huntley | MIA (at NYJ)
30) Davis Mills | HOU (at TEN)
31) Dorian Thompson-Robinson | CLE (at BAL)
32) Joshua Dobbs | SF (at ARI)
33) Spencer Rattler | NO (at TB)
34) Jacoby Brissett | NE (vs. BUF)
35) Taylor Heinicke | LAC (at LV)
36) Bailey Zappe | KC (at DEN)
37) Sam Howell | SEA (at LAR)
38) Tua Tagovailoa | MIA (at NYJ)
39) Josh Allen | BUF (at NE)
40) Patrick Mahomes | KC (at DEN)
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks Insights
Los Angeles Rams
Team: Over their past three games, the Rams have coveted seven-of-nine red zone drives into touchdowns (prior: seven-of-17).
QB: Matthew Stafford posted his best EPA against zone in a game since Week 6, 2021 (it was the first time he posted a positive number since Week 1, the last time he had both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua)
Offense: In the return of their two star receivers, the Rams operated at their slowest pace of the season and it worked – they averaged a season-best 5.8 yards per play.
Defense: In Weeks 5-8, Los Angeles has allowed opponents to convert just 20% of third downs (Weeks 1-4: 50%).
Fantasy: Puka Nacua dropped the first target on Thursday night, but in his return to action, three of Stafford’s first four passes were directed toward the second-year weapon.
Betting: The Rams kicked off Week 8 on Thursday night – they are 6-15-1 ATS (28.6%) since the beginning of 2019 when playing on extended rest (only the Jets and Texans have been worse in such spots over that stretch). They’ve failed to cover each of their past eight games (average cover margin: -6.1 points)
Seattle Seahawks
Team: This is Seattle’s fourth home game in a five-game stretch—they’ve lost the first three and been outscored 96-54 in those contests (Giants, 49ers, and Bills).
QB: In the first four weeks this season, Geno Smith completed 81% of his out-of-pocket throws. Over the past four weeks, that rate has regressed in a major way: 35.7%.
Offense: Seattle went three-and-out on 55.6% of their drives against the Bills, their second-highest rate since November 1, 2021 (Week 9, 2023, at Ravens).
Defense: In Weeks 1-3, the Seahawks took advantage of their schedule (DEN, NE, and MIA) and allowed just 1.03 points per drive. In their five games since (DET, NYG, SF, ATL, and BUF), they are allowing 2.61 points per drive (up 153.4%)
Fantasy: Kenneth Walker III is already three receptions away from setting a career-high for a season – he has over seven PPR points as a pass catcher in all five of his games back from injury.
Betting: The Seahawks are a league-worst 14-25-1 ATS (35.9%) after Halloween since 2020 (the Rams are 23-19-1 ATS over that stretch, eighth-best).
Betting: Since 2021, the Seahawks are just 3-7 ATS in home divisional games (unders are 7-3 in those games).