The fantasy football landscape shifts each week, bringing fresh opportunities and unexpected challenges that separate the prepared from the pretenders. Savvy managers know that last week’s performance tells only part of the story, and diving deeper into the underlying metrics reveals the accurate picture.
This week presents some intriguing decisions. Here’s insight about key Los Angeles Rams players heading into their matchup with the Carolina Panthers to help you craft a winning lineup.
Matthew Stafford, QB
Matthew Stafford is the MVP favorite for a reason. He’s thrown multiple TD passes in five straight and in nine of his past 10. He has two receivers who can seemingly beat any coverage and a running game respected enough for him to thrive in play-action situations (70.4% completion rate with 14 TDs and 0 INTs).
There’s one thread that can undo this profile, and that’s pressure. Of 34 qualifiers, Stafford ranks 26th in completion percentage when feeling the heat (behind J.J. McCarthy and Bryce Young). I think that’s a real flaw to consider as we pick nits, but not this weekend against the worst pass rush in the sport.
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The Seahawks on Thursday Night Football in Week 16 with a trip to your fantasy finals on the line? That’s going to be a tough conversation to have, but it’s not something you’re sweating this second.
Blake Corum, RB
The Rams are interested in using Blake Corum to spell Kyren Williams, and, on occasion, it looks like Sean McVay is truly interested in exploring what the second-year back can do with extended opportunities.
But those occasions come and go, and Williams remains. Corum has caught just one pass in November and five this season, a lack of versatility that makes significant role growth next to impossible.
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If he’s not going to catch passes and Williams (and Davante Adams) is going to dominate the goal-line usage, there really isn’t a path to standalone value. Corum is a Tier 1 handcuff with Tyler Allgeier, but not one that I’m looking to play unless an injury were to occur.
Kyren Williams, RB
Williams runs hard (gained a rate over 90% in two of his past three games and four times this season). Still, with limited explosion (this piece printed on the second anniversary of his last 35+ yard gain) and just four catches over his past four games, there’s more of a floor to worry about than there is a ceiling to chase.
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That’s not to say you bench him, but I’m not thrilled about chasing a touchdown given his cost in the DFS streets. Corum is being used to get Williams a blow with a little more regularity this season than last, and that lowers the projection by enough to land him outside of my top 12 this week.
Davante Adams, WR
Davante Adams is the best goal-line threat at the position in the league, and we are flirting with historic rates.
Since 2000, Most TD Catches Inside The 5-Yard Line In A Season
- 8: Bubba Franks, 2001
- 8: Randy Moss, 2004
- 8: Davante Adams, current
Is this the equivalent of the Tush Push in passing?
Until the NFL finds a way to slow #17 in close, I have no problem projecting him for a score a week. The quality of non-TD targets leaves plenty of room to be desired (those 82 targets have resulted in just 36 receptions). Still, with the MVP favorite throwing him the ball and the clear confidence of his coaching staff, I see no reason to expect anything but top 15 production from Adams for the remainder of 2025.
Puka Nacua, WR
The consistency for Puka Nacua is nothing short of uncanny:
- 2024: 277 routes, 79 catches, 21,7% deep target rate
- 2025: 277 routes, 80 catches, 21.4% deep target rate
You could waste your time complaining about the touchdowns that are funneled to Adams every week, but what good does being negative do?
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Nacua has caught 7+ passes in eight of 10 games this year and in 12 of 14 if you look back to last regular season. A defense that is stronger on the ground than through the air and is operating on a short work week doesn’t profile as the type to slow the Nacua train.
The touchdown equity isn’t what you’d expect for the WR1 in the offense with the league’s leader in TD passes, but that’s not even close to stopping me from ranking him as a top-5 play at the position for this weekend.
