Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Anthony Richardson

Wednesday, January 29, 7:50 PM

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford plans to continue playing in 2025. Stafford was non-committal as to whether he'd return for a 17th NFL season after the Rams' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round. Although it's now clear he wants to keep playing, there's still uncertainty as to whether it will be in L.A. The 36-year-old signal-caller revised his contract with the Rams before the 2024 season and will carry a $49.6 million salary cap number into this year. If the Rams were to trade Stafford in a post-June 1 move, they'd save $27 million. They'd save $23 million by designating him as a post-June 1 cut. However, the Rams don't currently have any immediate plans to replace Stafford. Injuries are a concern, but he still has elite arm strength and threw for 3,762 passing yards, 20 TDs and eight interceptions in 16 regular-season games.

Tuesday, January 21, 1:08 PM

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, the fourth overall pick in 2023, dealt with more injuries in his second NFL season in 2024 and did nothing to solidify himself as the long-term franchise QB in Indy. Richardson regressed as a passer, with his completion percentage dropping more than 11% points from his rookie year. In addition, his interceptions went up and there were questions about his off-field preparation, which led to a two-game benching in the middle of the year. The good news is that Richardson is healthy this offseason after missing the last two games of the year with a back injury, and he's already resumed throwing. His work this offseason with include refining his throws and throwing with more touch. Richardson will also be focusing on overall technique and plans to work with biometric expert Chris Hess. If Richardson can stay healthy and improves his footwork and throwing mechanics, he absolutely has QB1 upside in fantasy.