Who Should I Start? Tom Brady or Matthew Stafford

Monday, January 13, 7:41 PM

As recently as last week, there was a feeling inside the Las Vegas Raiders' team headquarters that owner Mark Davis would give head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco another year to figure things out after a 4-13 finish in 2024. However, seven-time Super Bowl-champion Tom Brady, who purchased 5% of the team last October, felt a total reset was needed and persuaded Davis to fire both Pierce and Telesco. "This is Tom's show now," a person with knowledge of the situation said. Davis will make the final call on decisions for the franchise, but Davis wants Brady to have a "huge" voice and has a lot of trust in him. By firing Telesco, the Raiders have made the head-coach job more attractive to potential coaches, and the Raiders are willing to consider a package deal if their top coaching candidates have preferred front-office leaders in mind.

Saturday, July 26, 7:25 PM

According to Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford (back) won't practice next week. Fortunately, the signal-caller didn't suffer a setback. Still, with McVay indicating that the team "will take it a week at a time," the uncertainty surrounding Stafford's return date won't sit well with fantasy managers. He appeared in 16 games for the Rams last season, throwing for 3,762 yards, 20 touchdowns, and eight picks while completing 65.8% of his attempts. Despite Stafford's age, he continues to play at an acceptable level, making him a viable starting option in Superflex formats. The hope is he'll be available for Week 1. However, if the 37-year-old isn't ready to go when the Rams host the Texans on September 7, Jimmy Garoppolo or Stetson Bennett will presumably be under center. Either quarterback would be a step down from Stafford, which wouldn't be ideal for Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. For now, Stafford should be considered week-to-week.