The Los Angeles Rams have been a perennial playoff contender ever since they landed QB Matthew Stafford on the roster. Thanks to his excellence, a good collection of weapons, and the brilliance of HC Sean McVay, L.A. has been a team to contend with in the NFC.
However, this year is offering a unique problem for the franchise. The centerpiece of its entire operation is a question mark heading into the 2025 season. With the regular season fast approaching, what is the latest on the superstar QB?
What Happened to Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford?
After their Super Bowl LVI victory, the Rams have been trying to make it back to the big dance. But so far, their efforts have fallen short in the playoffs. This year, they began anew with high expectations and a tweaked roster. But an injury to Stafford has derailed their entire game plan.
After the first slate of training sessions, the 37-year-old was feeling discomfort in his back. As a result, the Rams wanted to be precautionary and kept him out of most activities during the offseason. Ultimately, it turned out to be an aggravated disc that has kept the veteran quarterback from returning to action.
With 17 years of experience, Stafford has solidified himself as one of the best quarterbacks of this generation. Over a decade of his career with the Detroit Lions, he developed an impeccable reputation and earned a Pro Bowl selection.
Coming to the L.A. infrastructure brought immediate success, as he earned the second Pro Bowl selection of his career while winning the Super Bowl in the very first season of his tenure with the franchise.
Throughout OTAs, mandatory minicamp, and the preseason, their quarterback is the most significant omission in a Rams jersey. Despite his standing as the de facto leader of the team, Stafford did not take part in on-field activities.
Until this past week, that is. In an increasingly positive image, the organization shared an update about the quarterback suiting up and taking the field. Now a week in, there are some positives for the Rams to take away from his first slice of action in months.
Matthew Stafford out at practice. 9️⃣ pic.twitter.com/Gpae1kotVU
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 18, 2025
“Doing everything we can to try to get to feeling as good as I can,” Stafford told reporters. “Done a ton of research just trying to help myself out.” Perhaps most importantly, though, is the fact that he feels closer to his normal self.
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“Good thing is I feel pretty good the last couple of days out there practicing. Was able to do a little bit more than I thought I was going to be able to do the first day, and then I’ve just been trying to stack days.”
While he did not offer an update regarding his status for Week 1 of the regular season, the overwhelmingly positive feeling has also permeated from the quarterback to the coach.
“He’s looked like the stud we know,” McVay said, “From what I see, there’s no restrictions, and he’s playing at a really high level. I’ve seen a guy that’s gotten better and better.”
If he continues at his current pace, there is a good chance the fan base sees him in action to begin the year. After the roster turnaround, particularly with swapping Cooper Kupp with Davante Adams, quarterback consistency will be key to the future of the Rams.
Stafford’s Fantasy Outlook
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.
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.
