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 Philadelphia Eagles to help you craft a winning lineup.
Matthew Stafford, RB
I’m convinced that Matthew Stafford will be an efficient NFL quarterback until the day that I die.
The 37-year-old is averaging a cool 8.8 yards per pass through two weeks and is doing what you’d expect a crafty veteran to do: feature his elite playmakers.
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Despite all of the volume he’s giving to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, Stafford is QB27 through two weeks. Without access to any production on the ground, he needs almost literally to be flawless to be useful, and I don’t think that’s in the cards against the reigning Super Bowl champion.
Kyren Williams, RB
I’m sorry, but you’re not going to be able to sell me on Kyren Williams as a profitable pick this season, given what he costs.
Blake Corum scored on a late drive last week with the game in hand, but that’s not why I’ve soured on Williams.
Williams is the reason I’ve soured on Williams.
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Week 12 was the last time he had a 20-yard carry, and with just 13 targets earned over his past nine games, there just aren’t that many paths to fantasy glory.
We saw the Rams load up Davante Adams with a career-high five end-zone targets last week, and that was always the concern: he’s one of this generation’s best at converting short passes into scores, the exact area that Williams has to excel to live up to expectations.
The Rams opened with a sub-21 implied point total, and if scores are going to be hard to come by, another 8-12 PPR point game seems likely.
It’ll be tough to sell after a down week, but Williams has built up enough equity to recoup some value with one strong performance. When that happens, I’ll move him to the highest bidder and cut my losses.
Davante Adams, WR
With 21 targets, the Rams are trying to make Adams’ (two-year, $44,000,000 contract) happen.
Stafford funneled seven of his first 13 targets toward the veteran and got him not one, not two, not three, not four, but five end zone targets, the last of which finally paid off in fantasy points.
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The downward-pointing efficiency metrics show signs of Father Time looming, but if the usage is going to be anything close to what we saw, Adams is going to be a staple in lineups. He’s on the back end of my WR2 tier this weekend because of a tough matchup, but the downgrade isn’t nearly enough to move him to my bench.
Puka Nacua, WR
The Rams know how they want to use Nacua.
Opponents are aware of how the Rams plan to utilize Nacua.
It doesn’t matter.
His aDOT and target metrics through two weeks this season are nearly identical to what they were last season, and there’s nothing anyone can scheme up to stop him (18 catches on 20 targets up to this point).
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Oh, and they continue to work on creative ways to get their best player in space. His slot usage is up with Cooper Kupp now in Seattle, and he’s carried the rock 10 times in his past seven regular-season games (45-yard TD on Sunday).
Watching Nacua play can be a nerve-racking experience because his body always seems to be in harm’s way, but at the end of the day, every day, he’s putting up 15+ PPR points with slate-breaking upside.
