Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Tyrod Taylor

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.

Sunday, December 21, 12:06 PM

New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (knee) is officially inactive for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints, while Tyrod Taylor (groin, knee) will be active as the QB2 behind undrafted rookie Brady Cook. Both quarterbacks were questionable heading into Sunday, with Fields' status more in doubt after being limited in practice this week. As a result, the 2021 first-round pick will at least serve as the emergency QB3 in Week 16. Taylor was expected to serve as the backup to Cook after logging a full practice on Friday. Cook shouldn't be considered as a fantasy option against a New Orleans Saints defense that has been stingy against the pass in recent weeks. In his NFL debut last weekend, Cook threw three interceptions with just one passing score and 176 passing yards.