MatthewStafford

News: 3 days agoStafford completed 25 of 34 passes for 279 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in the Rams' 30-20 win over the Vikings on Thursday night. He also rushed three times for minus-4 yards.

Spin: Stafford had a banner night across the board, clearly benefiting from the return of both Puka Nacua (knee) and Cooper Kupp (ankle) to the field. The duo predicably served as Stafford's top targets, accounting for 12 of the quarterback's completions, 157 of his yards and one of his touchdown passes (Kupp). Stafford also hit Demarcus Robinson for scoring tosses of 25 and 10 yards in the second half, and his first end-zone strike of the night went to Kyren Williams from five yards out. Stafford's passing yardage was his second highest of the campaign and game also marked his first multi-touchdown tally of the season, affording the veteran signal-caller plenty of momentum heading into a Week 9 road showdown against the division-rival Seahawks on Sunday, Nov. 3.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Two years removed from a Super Bowl victory and a top-six fantasy finish, Stafford managed a mostly healthy 2023 season, in which he averaged nearly 16 fantasy points per contest. It was a comeback of sorts for the 36-year-old, who missed the final seven games of 2022 with a back injury and was without the pass-catching talents of Cooper Kupp to start 2023. A surprisingly effective performance from the offensive line, as well as the stunning emergence of Puka Nacua, helped Stafford regain his fantasy relevance. The vet heated up as the season progressed, recording five multi-touchdown performances between Weeks 11 and 17 (he registered just one such effort prior to the team's Week 10 bye). He heads into 2024 as an ideal QB2 and superflex target.