Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Desmond Ridder

Monday, September 15, 6:52 PM

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 23 of his 33 pass attempts for 298 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception during Sunday's Week 2 win over the Tennessee Titans. The veteran signal caller was quite productive on the road, finishing just a couple of yards away from a 300-yard, two-touchdown performance. He put together this dominant showing despite Los Angeles leading for more than half the game. In a situation where some teams might run the ball more, Stafford was still given an opportunity to rack up passing yards. He also did so against a solid Titans pass defense that intercepted Bo Nix twice just one week earlier. Stafford's lack of rushing upside is unfortunate, but fantasy managers should rest assured that there's no concern about Los Angeles deviating from a pass-heavy approach while leading in future weeks. He's firmly in the mid-range QB2 conversation for Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tuesday, August 26, 1:53 PM

The Cincinnati Bengals are releasing quarterback Desmond Ridder on Tuesday, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Ridder was brought in off the street in July to push Jake Browning for the QB2 spot behind starter Joe Burrow, but it didn't work out, and Ridder will once again become a free agent searching for a team. It's possible that the 25-year-old returns to Cincy's practice squad during the 2025 season if he doesn't latch on with another organization. Ridder was taken in the third round (74th overall) by the Atlanta Falcons in 2022 out of Cincinnati, but he was turnover-prone and quickly wore out his welcome in his two seasons there before spending 2024 with the Raiders. In his lone season as the Falcons' starter in 2023, Ridder threw for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 picks in 15 games (13 starts).