The Los Angeles Rams will face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Rams skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 17 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Matthew Stafford, QB
Matthew 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.
Blake Corum, RB
Blake Corum gets his drive or two a game, and that’s cute. It’s also infuriating for those holding Kyren Williams’ bags, but that’s all it is. It’s just a wrinkle, not a feature.
The rookie has posted a sub-20% snap share in three consecutive games and for the bulk of the season, outside of an outlier Week 13 win against the Saints in which he was on the field for 32.7% of the Rams’ plays.
Corum has yet to clear eight touches in a game this year. While holding a handcuff was a logical strategy up to this point, you’re in go-for-it mode now. You don’t need to cut ties with Corum, but if you’re trying to maximize the number of Flex options you have in a do-or-die situation, I’d much rather use that roster spot for a home-run-hitting receiver or a secondary RB where there are questions about the starter.
As things stand right now, we have no reason to think that Williams will see anything less than his standard workload this week, which means that Corum doesn’t project as a usable piece.
Kyren Williams, RB
Kyren Williams has a league-high 15 games with 20+ carries since the beginning of last season, a run that includes each of his past three contests (81 carries). That volume is a pretty safe bet against a defense that has been taking on water since its Week 11 bye and just gave up 152 yards and two scores on 25 carries to Chuba Hubbard.
The Rams didn’t have a 10-yard carry in their first meeting with the Cardinals and Williams turned his 12 attempts into just 25 yards, but these are two different teams now. Even in a spot where he wasn’t effective, Williams ran for a touchdown and finished with 6.7 points in the passing game.
The efficiency concerns and limited target earning of late are things we can tackle in the offseason — you’re playing Williams this week as a top-12 back and feeling just fine about it.
Cooper Kupp, WR
The Jets are a top-10 defense in terms of pressure rate, and that was the driving factor behind fading Cooper Kupp in Week 16:
Kupp’s yards per route when his QB is pressured by season:
- 2021: 2.58 yards
- 2022: 2.05
- 2023: 1.80 (Nacua: 1.64)
- 2024: 0.72 (Nacua: 3.00)
That worked out, and while I think that Kupp’s best days are behind him, the non-pressured numbers are plenty usable, and that’s the version we should get this week. For the season, the Cardinals rank 25th in pressure rate, and assuming that they are reading this, why wouldn’t they? They may try to correct that by ramping up the aggression.
Doesn’t scare me.
Arizona ranks 27th in pressure rate when blitzing this season, leaving Matthew Stafford in a spot to pick apart this secondary for the better part of 60 minutes. None of my concerns around Kupp apply for this matchup, and I have him locked in as a top-20 asset, checking in ahead of budding stars like Malik Nabers and Garrett Wilson.
Demarcus Robinson, WR
Matthew Stafford is the receiver elevator, but even his powers are limited. As Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua soak up all meaningful usage in offense, there is no meat left on the bone for the remaining Rams.
In Robinson’s case, literally no meat.
His 60 routes over the past three weeks have netted exactly zero receptions. This is just the latest example of a third pass catcher having an awfully difficult time sustaining any level of fantasy value. The Jets, Bears, Eagles, Buccaneers, and Seahawks are all other examples of this.
Be careful in assuming that such a role can thrive (I’m looking at you, Minnesota fans, who want Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson to all grade as must-starts).
Puka Nacua, WR
Remember when Puka Nacua threw a punch against the Seahawks back in early November? Since that game, his 17-game pace is for a cool 138 catches. It’s become clear that the NFL has no answer for him, and instead of him fading as the league gets film on him, he’s getting better.
Nacua has caught 87.1% of his targets over the past three weeks, up from 64.6% in his previous five games. As long as Matthew Stafford is under center, this is as safe of an asset as there is in the game. Depending on your draft slot next season, you might not get the chance to roster Nacua next season – make the most of it this year!