The Los Angeles Rams will face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17. 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 17?
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 17?
Stafford hasn’t been asked to do much lately, and that’s crushed his fantasy upside (46 pass attempts for 270 yards and one touchdown total over his past two games). His number also wasn’t called in a major way in the first meeting with the Cardinals (19 of 27 for 216 yards).
I worry that could be the case here. Arizona owns the second-worst third-down defense in the NFL through 16 weeks, so I’m not worried about what Stafford can do when given the opportunity. But without rushing potential, a low-volume game through the air is almost impossible to overcome.
There’s not much risk in starting Stafford if you have a loaded roster or play in a 2QB league. It’s the lack of upside that prevents me from slotting him higher than QB15.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 17 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Matthew Stafford’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 17
As of Saturday, Stafford is projected to score 16.2 fantasy points in Week 17. This includes 259.2 passing yards, 1.6 passing touchdowns, and 0.8 interceptions. It also includes 1.4 rushing attempts for 1.8 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 Insight on the Cardinals' Defense
The Arizona Cardinals' run-defense issues haven't generated as much attention as their pass-defense woes. After all, success in the passing game tends to correlate stronger with wins and losses, and Arizona still ranks last in pass success rate.
However, Sunday's loss to the Panthers provided a harsh reminder that this is also the 28th-ranked unit by run success rate.
Arizona allowed Chuba Hubbard and Bryce Young to rip off long runs, resulting in -0.22 EPA per rush allowed. That was the Cardinals' second-worst performance in a game all season, behind only the Week 4 loss to Washington.
The Cardinals took a step forward in 2024, but the end will feel like a disappointment after Arizona was the clear midseason favorite to claim the NFC West. The lack of defensive talent beyond Budda Baker was a well-known roster flaw entering the season and one that will need a serious commitment of offseason resources to fix for 2025.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Matthew Stafford’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 3:45 PM ET on Saturday, December 28. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 QB PPR Rankings
1) Josh Allen | BUF (vs. NYJ)
2) Lamar Jackson | BAL (at HOU)
3) Joe Burrow | CIN (vs. DEN)
4) Jayden Daniels | WAS (vs. ATL)
5) Baker Mayfield | TB (vs. CAR)
6) Sam Darnold | MIN (vs. GB)
7) Kyler Murray | ARI (at LAR)
8) Jordan Love | GB (at MIN)
9) Bo Nix | DEN (at CIN)
10) Jared Goff | DET (at SF)
11) Brock Purdy | SF (vs. DET)
12) Tua Tagovailoa | MIA (at CLE)
13) Matthew Stafford | LAR (vs. ARI)
14) C.J. Stroud | HOU (vs. BAL)
15) Justin Herbert | LAC (at NE)
16) Patrick Mahomes | KC (at PIT)
17) Caleb Williams | CHI (vs. SEA)
18) Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (at BUF)
19) Geno Smith | SEA (at CHI)
20) Bryce Young | CAR (at TB)
21) Cooper Rush | DAL (at PHI)
22) Joe Flacco | IND (at NYG)
23) Russell Wilson | PIT (vs. KC)
24) Michael Penix Jr. | ATL (at WAS)
25) Drake Maye | NE (vs. LAC)
26) Aidan O'Connell | LV (at NO)
27) Tyler Huntley | MIA (at CLE)
28) Mac Jones | JAX (vs. TEN)
29) Kenny Pickett | PHI (vs. DAL)
30) Mason Rudolph | TEN (at JAX)
31) Drew Lock | NYG (vs. IND)
32) Spencer Rattler | NO (vs. LV)
33) Dorian Thompson-Robinson | CLE (vs. MIA)
Cardinals at Rams Trends and Insights
Arizona Cardinals
Team: Arizona is 4-15 and has been outscored by 152 points (492-340) in their past 19 road games.
QB: Kyler Murray doesn’t have more touchdown passes than interceptions in a game since doing so against the Jets in Week 10 (Arizona has lost four of five games over that stretch).
Offense: James Conner has consecutive games with a 40+ yard carry – he had one such run in his career with the Cardinals prior (794 rush attempts).
Defense: The Cardinals allowed the Panthers to average 3.0 points per drive on Sunday – Arizona falls to 1-6 this season when allowing at least 2.0 points per drive.
Fantasy: Conner is the first RB aged 29 or older with 100 rush yards, a rush TD, and 25 receiving yards in consecutive games since Latavius Murray (2019) – he joined this list in the first half last week against the Panthers.
Betting: Since the start of 2022, overs are 4-0 when the Cardinals play on extended rest (1-0 this season: 28-27 win over the Dolphins with a game that closed with a 46.5-point total).
Los Angeles Rams
Team: The Rams have won eight of 10 games after a 1-4 start, but they’ve only outscored their opponents by 27 points during that run (235-20)
QB: Matthew Stafford has thrown one touchdown pass on 46 attempts over his past two games (one TD toss every 11.7 attempts over his four games prior).
Offense: Los Angeles has won four straight games, but they’ve been walking on thin ice over their past two by converting just two of their eight red zone trips into TDs.
Defense: Opponents have converted just eight-of-18 red zone trips into touchdowns against the Rams over their past six games.
Fantasy: Kyren Williams has a league-high 15 games with 20+ carries since the beginning of last season.
Betting: The Rams have covered seven consecutive short rest games (average cover margin: 11.4 PPG).