Is Rams QB Matthew Stafford a Fantasy Football Sleeper?

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is looking for a bounce back season in 2023.

Turn back the clock 18 months, and it'd be hard to imagine that the Los Angeles Rams would've had one of the NFL's worst offenses last season. Coming off a Super Bowl, not many could've predicted the Rams would finish No. 27 in points per game and last in total yards per game. 

A big reason for the sharp decline in the Rams' fortune offensively was injuries and the deterioration of the offensive line. Starting quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Cooper Kupp missed time last season, and their absence showed. Yet, even when Stafford was on the field, you tell he wasn't at his best. 

As Pro Football Focus recently wrote, the Rams Super Bowl-winning quarterback endured one of the worst seasons of his career, especially from a fantasy football perspective. 

"Stafford was QB5 in 2021 but only managed 12.9 fantasy points per game last season," PFF writes. "This was lower than nearly every other starter, as well as a few backups."

Despite the disastrous season, the data analytics website is choosing the Rams signal-caller as a potential sleeper quarterback for this season in fantasy. Why? 

Well, as PFF writes, Stafford's health is "night and day" compared to where he was at this time last season. Not only is Stafford healthy, but his top target, Cooper Kupp, is back from the ankle injury that ended his season last fall. If the duo which led the Rams' offense to their Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021 can pick up where they left off, not only will the Rams' offense thrive, but so will the fantasy owners of those two players.

As for where can fantasy owners expect to see Stafford taken off the board this year? Well, PFF has Stafford's average draft position at 162.2.

After playing in nine games last season, Stafford threw for just 2,087 yards with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. If the Rams' offense can stay healthy, Stafford could prove to be a potential steal of a late-round pick this year in fantasy.

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