Matthew Stafford (right elbow) practicing in full

It was an uneven day for Stafford and the Rams, who managed just six points in the first half of this one. Stafford threw 19 of his 43 targets to Puka Nacua, who was unsurprisingly his most reliable receiver of the day, as the two connected 14 times for 150 yards and a touchdown. Stafford’s lone touchdown pass of the day came on a seven-yard pass to Nacua in the back of the end zone, which gave the Rams a 20-13 lead early in the fourth quarter. This marks back-to-back pedestrian outings for Stafford, who has thrown for 385 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in his last two games. Stafford will be a fringe QB1/QB2 next week on the road against the Cardinals.

Stafford wasn’t asked to do much against the Chargers, as the Rams once again went ultra run-heavy with Davante Adams (hamstring) sidelined. Averaging a meager 6.3 yards per attempt, Stafford mostly checked down to his short-area targets. His touchdown came on a well-designed screen pass to Puka Nacua. Stafford will have some fantasy appeal in Week 9 against the pass-funnel Washington defense. Coming into Week 8, Stafford ranked 13th in expected fantasy points per game.

It was a fairly clean game for Stafford against a Raiders defense that rarely pressures the passer and has proven vulnerable in the intermediate and deep areas of the field. Stafford picked apart the Vegas secondary in the first half, with heavy three tight end-set usage and a more run-heavy game plan than usual with Davante Adams (hamstring) sidelined. The Rams had 35 rushing attempts to 29 passes on the day. Stafford connected with Puka Nacua for one score and Davis Allen for two others. Though Stafford’s ceiling is going to be lower with Adams out, he profiles as a safe option in Week 8 against the Chargers. He now has six multi-touchdown games this season.

The Cardinals’ pass rush was disruptive, hitting Stafford seven times and sacking him twice. Stafford lost a fumble on a two-point conversion, but the box score only shows a failed two-point try, evidently saving fantasy managers two fantasy points. Stafford later fumbled after getting spooked by a pass-rushing ghost. A Rams lineman recovered it, but it derailed an otherwise effective, tempo-based drive. Stafford engineered a touchdown drive at the tail end of the game, connecting with Puka Nacua on a 42-yarder and a 16-yarder, before Colby Parkinson barreled into the end zone for the score. Stafford should return to the QB1 tier against the Raiders in Week 7.

It was the third consecutive game in which Stafford attempted 51 passes or more in what has become the most voluminous passing offense in the league. The two powerhouses felt each other out throughout the first half as only 20 combined points per scored before the break. Things would get aggressive for the final 30 minutes as seven combined touchdowns were scored on nine second half possessions, four of which were accounted for by the Rams. Stafford directed a whopping 24 targets toward alpha wide receiver Puka Nacua, who set a career high with 17 receptions in a short-area role. The reigning MVP returned an instant classic performance against the 2024 MVP, ultimately coming up short in overtime following a blocked field goal attempt from Harrison Mevis. The Rams fall to 2-3 ahead of a home matchup against the more forgiving Cardinals in Week 6. Stafford is once again a fantasy QB1 in that matchup.

Stafford put the Rams behind the eight ball with a pair of first half interceptions but was better after the break as the Rams slowly erased a 20-10 deficit. Not that he was amazing, but with the Eagles finishing an inconceivable 0-12 on third down, Stafford needed to make just enough plays, and that’s what he did despite leaving some meat on the bone. It was forgivable on a rainy day in Philly, though Stafford now has at least one interception in all four of his starts. In fact, he has as many scores (six) as picks. Hopefully that trend reverses with Puka Nacua back in the lineup, though the schedule is not lightening up with the Rams hosting the Bills for Monday Night Football in Week 5. That should nevertheless be a fantasy football bonanza.

The Rams stormed out to a 16-0 lead they would take into the break but two unanswered scores and two-point conversions from the Broncos saw the game knotted at 16 heading into the fourth quarter, which is where the scoring really took off. Stafford and the Rams appeared to be in control of the game until a Talanoa Hufanga pick-six off Stafford, making 33 career pick-sixes thrown to give him a record he would otherwise not like to have on his ledger. Stafford answered on the following possession on a 48-yard strike to Konata Mumpfield, only for the Broncos to answer back with a Bo Nix rushing score with 47 seconds left to play. Stafford worked more magic to get the team into the red zone, marching the field with only one timeout with a chance to win on the final play of the game. Hufanga ultimately won the play with his second interception off Stafford, sending the Rams to a 1-2 record. Stafford also became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 20,000 yards for two different franchises in the loss. Stafford remains a locked-in QB1 in fantasy circles ahead of a Week 4 showdown with the Eagles on the road.

McVay said he’s “hopeful” Nacua, who missed Monday night’s game against the Giants, will be able to suit up against Denver next week. The Rams offense was fine without Nacua on Monday against an injury-ravaged Giants team. LA had the week’s fourth highest EPA per play on the way to a 28-6 win. Another game with Nacua sidelined will mean more target domination for Davante Adams and more involvement for Terrance Ferguson, who caught 6-of-9 targets for 54 yards and a touchdown against New York.

It was an inspiring effort from the 38-year-old quarterback while playing without his top option through the air in Puka Nacua. Stafford locked onto Davante Adams, the latter of whom turned 10 targets into eight receptions for 195 yards and two touchdowns, on his way to a 22nd career game with four touchdown passes. He also moved into sixth on the all-time passing touchdown leaderboard, overtaking Philip Rivers with the four-touchdown performance. The Rams shook off their travel woes in convincing fashion to move to 1-1 ahead of road meeting with the Broncos in Week 3, where Stafford will remain a locked-in QB1 in fantasy circles.

Stafford didn’t get much time to enjoy Australia, and likely won’t leave this contest with fond memories. He completed just 4-of-11 passes in the first half and didn’t do much better in the final 30 minutes, and outside of a 41-yard connection with Puka Nacua, he just couldn’t get the ball downfield. He was also stuffed on a fourth-and-goal run at the goal line to cement the poor day. Credit the 49ers’ defense, but it’s fair to call this a disappointing season debut for the reigning MVP. Expect a rebound in Week 2 against the Giants in a Monday Night Football contest.