Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Taylor Heinicke

Monday, October 14, 7:30 PM

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said on Monday that quarterback Matthew Stafford (back) is "doing great and he's not going to miss any time." Stafford came out of the Week 5 loss to the Green Bay Packers with back soreness but had the bye in Week 6 to heal up properly. Stafford could be listed on this week's injury report, but it sounds like he won't be in danger of missing the Week 7 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium. It's good news for Stafford and the Rams, but LA could be without both receivers Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Puka Nacua (knee) for yet another week. Nacua won't practice this week and is most likely out, while Kupp is a question mark. The matchup will be a great one for the 36-year-old signal-caller, but without his top receivers, Stafford isn't all that attractive in fantasy as a QB2. Stafford is currently the QB31 at 14.8 fantasy points per game in 2024.

Wednesday, August 28, 8:22 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers are acquiring quarterback Taylor Heinicke from the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft pick. Not only is starting quarterback Justin Herbert (foot) recovering from plantar fasciitis in his foot, but backup Easton Stick regressed in training camp and the preseason. The 31-year-old Heinicke will be an upgrade at the QB position behind Herbert entering the regular season next week. In Atlanta, the Falcons were expected all along to try and trade Heinicke after taking rookie Michael Penix Jr. in the first round in April. Heinicke made his NFL debut back in 2017 with the Houston Texans and has appeared in 38 games (29 starts) since then with four different teams. His best year came in 2021 with Washington, when he threw for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 picks on 321 pass attempts over 16 games (15 starts).