Fantasy Football: Impact of Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff trade
Matthew Stafford
This is where things start to get interesting.
Stafford moving to L.A. is an upgrade for the 12-year pro. The offensive line is arguably an improvement, they have a young, promising running back similar to Swift in Cam Akers and impactful wideouts in Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp.
The biggest improvement though is head coach Sean McVay and the Rams stud defense.
McVay runs a very quarterback friendly system in Los Angles. The Rams defense is one of the best in the NFL anchored by Pro-Bowler Aaron Donald. There’s no doubt that having that kind of defense on the field helps elevate Stafford to the level that many of us in the Motor City have dreamed of seeing him hit.
If he couldn’t do it here, we want to see him succeed elsewhere.
When fantasy football draft season rolls around, owners are going to be more eager to draft Stafford than they have been in previous seasons. For me personally, I think it may lessen the chances of me taking him, mostly because I think his average draft position will be higher than I’m willing to pay.
I do think we see more productive numbers from the former University of Georgia Bulldog. Perhaps numbers we haven’t seen since the great Calvin Johnson hung up the cleats early.
Cam Akers
You’re going to notice a common theme here. It’s an improvement for Akers as well. I was already considering Akers an early target for next year’s fantasy football season, but now I may look to take him even earlier.
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Having Stafford under center is going to open up the run game in L.A.
As previously mentioned, defenders respect Stafford’s deep threat. When Goff was running the offense, the opposing team was usually looking for passes underneath and over the middle. That won’t be the same next season. Crowding the box and watching for Akers to get the handoff should be a thing of the past.
Akers should be able to take full advantage.
Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp
This is where the biggest improvement comes in.
Prior to Stafford making his way to the west coast, Woods and Kupp were basically considered average wide receivers.
Don’t get me wrong, both did well with Goff. Woods in particular. In 2020 the six-foot-tall, 195-pound wide-out caught a career-high eight touchdown receptions. He also finished the year with 90 catches for 936-yards in 16 games played.
If I were a betting man, and I am, I say those totals read considerably higher at the end of 2021. Kupp will be a beneficiary too.
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Both of these guys now have serious potential to break 1,000-yards receiving. Their ADP will go up too. Woods will likely be higher than Kupp. For that reason, I will probably target Kupp more often than Woods, but both will be exciting to watch alongside Matthew Stafford in 2021.