Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Dillon Gabriel

Saturday, October 18, 9:36 AM

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has been terrific this season, ranking as the overall QB10 in fantasy football. While he has a long track record of success in the NFL and has proven that this season's results are no joke, managers should temper expectations with the veteran signal caller this week. First of all, he will be without Puka Nacua (ankle), who is the heart and soul of Los Angeles' receiving corps. That will leave Davante Adams as the de facto No. 1 receiver. While Adams is dominant, too, he hasn't flashed the strongest rapport with Stafford, which could be an issue now that he's in a bigger role. Furthermore, Stafford will be tasked with overcoming the challenges of international travel; he arrives in London on Saturday and will take on the Jaguars just one day later. Both of these factors reduce Stafford's fantasy value, but he still cracks the top 12. It helps that Jacksonville has allowed the fifth-most passing yards to quarterbacks this season, as well as the 11th-most fantasy points to the position. Stafford is a low-end QB1 for this week.

Friday, October 17, 6:48 PM

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel has made two starts thus far in his rookie season, passing for 430 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. While the rookie has done a nice job taking care of the ball, he has yet to bring much upside to a Cleveland offense that has scored just 82 points across six games. He will look to turn things around in a Week 7 home game against the Miami Dolphins. Miami's defense has been one of the worst in the league this season, allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks thus far. Gabriel definitely has the matchup in his favor, but he will have to show more on the field to be trustworthy for fantasy lineups. He sets up as a high-end QB3 heading into Week 7.