Matthew Stafford decided this offseason that he would return for his 17th season (fifth with the Los Angeles Rams). While his fantasy numbers have been trending in the wrong direction, this is a talented roster with enough difference-makers to allow for the occasional vintage performance.
Should Stafford be on your radar when filling out a fantasy football redraft roster in 2025?
Matthew Stafford Fantasy Outlook
Stafford has been a fun fantasy asset for years, and his arm talent is no secret. He can cut the ball loose with the best of them, and that skill is aging well, as his passer rating on balls thrown 10+ yards a season ago was his best since 2021. If he’s given his complete set of weapons for a season, you’d be crazy to dismiss him as a viable option.
Let’s get Matthew Stafford a full 17 games with healthy receivers and see what happens pic.twitter.com/clP1mZ1B5n
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) June 17, 2025
He can still make some jaw-dropping throws, he just can’t make all of them, and given his lack of mobility (since being drafted, he ranked third in completions, second in pass yards, first in dropbacks, and 28th in rush yards), that’s a problem.
In 2024, 13 of the top 15 per-game fantasy QBs ran for over 11 yards per game. Stafford has accomplished that once in his career (2016) and has just 158 yards on the ground in his four years with Los Angeles.
In this era, any one-dimensional QB faces an uphill battle to make an impact in the game we love, let alone one who is at the mercy of Father Time.
Stafford’s diminishing touchdown rate (6.8% in 2021 and 4% since) is one thing, but variance could explain that. One of the first areas I go to when trying to determine the impact of age is production under pressure, as it’s a spot where mental savvy can’t always overcome physical limitations.
Well, last season, Stafford ranked 32nd of 36 qualified QBs in pressured passer rating, and the three who ranked just ahead of him (Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins, and Jameis Winston) are not in position to open 2025 as starting signal callers. The Rams ranked 24th in pass rate over expectation a season ago and didn’t address the offensive line with any of their six picks during the draft.
The problem here is that the desires of the Rams don’t align with those of fantasy managers. Sean McVay seems to know that the more he asks of his QB, the further his win-equity dips.
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If Los Angeles is going to win games, it might well be by way of a big play or drive from Stafford, but the reason they are in position to have success in the fourth quarter will be a result of managing the possession count and number of plays Stafford is asked to make.
I think it’s far more likely that Stafford finishes outside of the top 20 fantasy quarterbacks this season than inside the top 15, and that makes him a player you don’t need to worry about drafting in standard redraft formats.
This is the rare situation where three playmakers on the offense have our attention without their quarterback being on the radar. If a matchup presents itself, stream him during the bye week chaos in the middle of the season, but that’s about the extent of my optimism as we prepare for the 2025 season.
Frank Ammirante’s Matthew Stafford Fantasy Projection
Matthew Stafford hasn’t been productive in fantasy football for the past couple of seasons. Now, the veteran is dealing with a back injury, which has kept him out of camp and can linger into the season. This has created a buying opportunity in Best Ball formats, where you can take Stafford as your QB3 at a rock-bottom price.
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While there’s definitely risk that he misses some time, we could see a couple of spike weeks now that he has WR Davante Adams to go along with Puka Nacua. Since both receivers are also discounted, building a stack at this reduced cost makes sense.
Aside from Best Ball, you don’t have to consider Stafford as anything more than a streamer in 1-QB formats. If you’re in a SuperFlex, he’d make sense as a QB3. If healthy, the upside is that Stafford can get back to close to 30 passing touchdowns.