The Los Angeles Rams crashed the party of the top two seeds, forming the final four teams in this year’s playoffs. They did not play their best football against the Chicago Bears but were able to pull off a victory. The Seattle Seahawks absolutely played their best football and absolutely destroyed the San Francisco 49ers.
These two teams split their regular season matchups. Can Matthew Stafford’s career season continue for another game, or is Sam Darnold’s team simply too complete? And, of course, what do those of you in playoff fantasy football leagues need to know about this game?
Rams Fantasy Football Outlook: Stafford, Nacua, and Williams
Easily the more fun of our two Conference Championship contests, the Rams find themselves one win away from returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since their victory four years ago.
For a guy who came into this season with uncertainty over whether he would even be able to play, Stafford has done pretty well. The veteran’s 84.4 PFSN QB Impact Score was sixth in the league. He didn’t play his best against the Bears but made enough plays in key moments to deliver a win.
Here is where things get tricky. Stafford’s first outing against the Seahawks was a disaster, posting his lowest Impact Score of the season (66.3) in Week 11. Ironically, the Rams won that game, 21-19.
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In their second meeting, Stafford was much better, delivering an 80.3 Impact Score. Unfortunately, the Rams couldn’t play defense, and the Seahawks won that one in Week 16.
Don’t expect another 38-37 slugfest. But do expect the Rams to lean more on the pass.
The Seahawks are not a pass funnel. They are a nothing funnel. They were elite against both the pass and the run this season. But whenever teams can’t run, they typically throw, even if the pass isn’t working that well, either.
The Denver Broncos’ Defense Impact Score on the season was 90.1, the highest in the league. They were the only team to earn an A- grade, making them the best defense in the NFL, barely edging out the Houston Texans by 0.7 points.
The Seahawks ranked third in PFSN Defense Impact Score this season. Fortunately, the Rams still have Puka Nacua.
Coming off a down week, Nacua should rebound against a defense he has not had any trouble against this season. As a reminder, in that 38-37 shootout loss, Nacua had the best performance of any WR all year, posting a 12-225-2 line.
It is worth noting that Davante Adams did not play in that game. But, to be fair, Adams has barely been noticeable since returning from his hamstring strain. He caught only 5-of-13 targets against the Carolina Panthers. Last week, he had a mere 2 receptions for 24 yards.
On the ground, Kyren Williams and Blake Corum continue to alternate drives. Williams still has the edge on passing downs, but the better fantasy asset still comes down to which one of their drives it is when the Rams get near the goal line.
Fantasy managers need to use whatever players they have left at this point. If you think the Seahawks win this game, use as many Rams as possible. But prepare for the possibility that the output is not what you want.
Seahawks Fantasy Football Outlook: Darnold, Smith-Njigba, and Walker
Sam Darnold being one win away from a Super Bowl appearance in the year 2026 is not exactly what anyone had on their bingo cards after how his career started. With that said, Darnold is more helping the team along than being the carry. His 78.6 Impact Score ranked 13th this season. He’s been good. But the Seahawks are a team, not just their quarterback.
It’s hard to glean anything from how the Seahawks operated last week against the 49ers. Cooper Kupp led the team with 5 catches for 60 yards. Jaxon Smith-Njigba only had 3 receptions for 19 yards and a touchdown. The game was never competitive, resulting in Darnold attempting only 17 passes.
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In both games against the Rams, Smith-Njigba stepped up in a big way. He had 9 receptions for 105 yards in their first meeting. Smith-Njigba followed that up with 8 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown in the second one.
As fun as it is to discuss the Kupp revenge game narrative, it didn’t come into play during the regular season. The very much washed former elite WR had 6 catches for 62 yards in the two games combined.
This might be a decent spot to use him in fantasy anyway, but he’s the type of player you’re better off saving if you think the Seahawks win, and just hoping for the best in the Super Bowl.
On the ground, the committee is over. Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL last week. His season is over. That puts Kenneth Walker III in an every-down role. Naturally, he put together the best game of his career against the 49ers, carrying the ball 19 times for 116 yards and 3 touchdowns. Walker’s role with no Charbonnet makes him the best fantasy option at running back this week.
Rams vs. Seahawks NFC Championship Prediction
If you came here looking for confidence in the outcome, I am sorry to disappoint. This is as close as it gets. If these teams played this game 100 times, neither team wins more than 55 of them. It will likely come down to a couple of key plays.
The interesting part of my prediction is that I’ve been on the Rams to reach the Super Bowl for many weeks now. I tend to side with the better quarterback and more experienced bunch. But this Seahawks team is just so good across the board. They have no real weakness, and Darnold has been more than adequate.
Prediction: Seahawks 27, Rams 24
