Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Josh Allen

Monday, January 19, 11:00 AM

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford managed to lead his team to victory, but he did not have his most productive day in the NFC Divisional Round against the Chicago Bears. The 37-year-old completed 20 of 42 pass attempts for 258 yards (6.1 yards per attempt) without a touchdown. He also fumbled twice, although both were recovered by the Rams. Stafford is playing through a sprained right index finger that he suffered in the Wild Card Round, which could be negatively impacting his performance. Still, his team will likely need more from him in the NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle completely dominated San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy in the Divisional Round, holding him to 140 passing yards and holding the 49ers to just six total points. However, Stafford had plenty of success against the Seahawks in the regular season, completing 44 of 77 pass attempts for 587 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions across two meetings between the two NFC West foes. Fantasy managers may be wise to closely monitor reports on Stafford's injured finger heading into the NFC Championship Game.

Wednesday, January 21, 12:40 PM

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said that quarterback Josh Allen (foot) might need surgery on his right foot, but if he does, he should be ready for organized team activities in the spring, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Allen initially injured his foot in Week 16, but he played through soreness the rest of the year before being eliminated by the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The 29-year-old former MVP also battled a left-knee injury and a right-finger injury in the postseason. Either way, Allen should be completely fine for the start of training camp this summer and the start of the 2026 regular season in the fall. He once again led all QBs in fantasy points during the regular season in 2025 with 3,668 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 17 games, adding 579 rushing yards and a league-high 14 TDs. Even with head coach Sean McDermott gone, Allen should be the first QB off the board in fantasy football drafts this fall.