Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Saquon Barkley

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, 8:11 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley had his second-lowest total yard count (67) of the season last week against the Giants and will look to bounce back this Sunday against the Vikings. Barkley has also seen less touches recently, with his two lowest rush attempt tallies coming in the last two weeks. On the bright side, Minnesota has the ninth-worst run defense in the league, allowing an average of 132.2 yards per game. And with Philly losing each of their last two contests, they could very well turn back to their superstar RB to rely on for production. View Barkley as a bonafide RB1 once again in Week 7.