Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Kirk Cousins

Saturday, January 24, 10:44 AM

By his own lofty standards, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford struggled in his team's NFC Divisional Round win over the Chicago Bears. The 37-year-old completed just 20 of 42 pass attempts for 258 yards and zero touchdowns while taking a season-high four sacks. However, Stafford was playing through a sprained right index finger, which may have been impacting his performance. While the veteran quarterback may still be feeling the lingering effects of the finger injury, he was not listed on the team's injury report leading into its NFC Championship Game matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. On paper, the Rams face a difficult test against the vaunted Seahawks defense. Seattle finished the regular season ranked first among NFL defenses in yards per pass attempt allowed (6.0) and held the San Francisco 49ers to just six points in the Divisional Round. At the same time, Stafford and the Rams were one of the few teams to have success against the Seahawks in the regular season. Across two matchups, Stafford threw for 587 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He remains a high-end quarterback option for fantasy managers in the NFC Championship Game.

Tuesday, January 6, 12:56 PM

The Atlanta Falcons and quarterback Kirk Cousins agreed to tweak the final two years of the QB's contract on Tuesday, setting the stage for a decision on his future to be made by the third day of the new league year on March 13, a source told ESPN's Field Yates. Cousins now has a guarantee for $67.9 million for the 2027 season that will vest on March 13. The restructure also includes reducing Cousins' 2026 base salary from a non-guaranteed $35 million to just $2.1 million. Atlanta's front office is in flux following the firing of general manager Terry Fontenot on Sunday, but the Falcons could still move on from Cousins before March 13 as a post-June 1 release. A release of that kind would split the dead money on Cousins' contract over 2026 and 2027, as opposed to the team taking on the full amount in 2026. The 37-year-old played in 10 games this season, including starting the final seven following Michael Penix Jr.'s season-ending knee injury. Cousins was serviceable, throwing 10 TDs and five interceptions, but he probably isn't in the team's long-term plans at the position.