NFL Player News

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford heads back to his former home while Lions quarterback Jared Goff hosts his former team after freshly signing a four-year, $212 million contract extension. This will be a rematch of last season’s Wild Card game, where the Lions bested the Rams 24-23. Goff and Stafford were dealt for each other in 2021, with the Rams winning a Super Bowl and the Lions making it to the Conference Championship since then. This game will kick off Sunday Night Football for the season and will feature many fantasy-relevant players, including top receivers Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

St. Brown tied for second on the team in targets but still left fantasy managers scrambling for answers after investing a first-round pick in the talented wide receiver. Fellow wide receiver Jameson Williams stole the show on this night, erupting for 121 yards and a score through the air, something that isn’t overly likely to be the new norm in Detroit. Even so, the emergence of Williams as a viable threat in this offense could make a small dent in the weekly target expectations for St. Brown moving forward. Don’t get it twisted, you’re starting St. Brown with confidence.

LaPorta had a relatively quiet night by his lofty standards, ranking fourth on the team in targets and failing to find the end zone. Even so, LaPorta remains an integral part of an aggressive offense and should find better fantasy performances moving forward. Unfortunately for his fantasy managers, he was unable to corral his lone end zone target against the Rams, something that could have helped to inflate his numbers. Up next is a solid matchup through the air against the Buccaneers in Week 2.

Williams scored on a 52-yard bomb to send the Lions to a 17-3 lead early in the third quarter before the Rams came clawing back to retake the lead with under five minutes left to play. The nine targets led the team for the first time in Williams’ three-year career, indicating the arrival of another primary option for an aggressive and efficient offense. Williams is sure to return more boom weeks in the future, although it remains unlikely he leads the team in targets in many games this season. He gets a solid on-paper matchup against the Buccaneers in Week 2.

Gibbs scored the first touchdown of the game on the first play following the two-minute warning, sending the Lions into the half with a 10-3 lead. He would then see most of the backfield work in the third quarter before ceding the bulk of the usage to David Montgomery in overtime. Expect a relatively even split in backfield opportunities for the Lions moving forward, although Gibbs could have the upper hand for touches against the stout run defense of the Buccaneers in Week 2.

Montgomery started hot in this one, starting the game as the primary ball carrier before taking a backseat to Jahmyr Gibbs in the second half. Overtime was a different story as the team rode Montgomery’s fierce between-the-tackles running to the game-winning score on the first possession. The backfield split between Montgomery and Gibbs remained fairly even as the former saw 18 opportunities to the 17 of the latter. Expect a similar split moving forward, which largely places a cap on the weekly floor and ceiling of Gibbs in the process. That said, Gibbs could see more usage in Week 2 when the team hosts the Buccaneers’ stout run defense in Detroit.

In true Lions fashion, Goff attempted just 28 passes versus 31 team rush attempts in a game they largely controlled throughout after going up 17-3 early in the second quarter. Most notably, Goff’s leading pass-catcher was third-year wide receiver Jameson Williams, whom Goff fed nine targets and was the recipient of his lone touchdown toss. The offense remained concentrated amongst the backfield, Sam LaPorta, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Williams, but the addition of another primary contributor could make weekly fantasy production more sporadic for the Lions moving forward. A two-minute drill field goal tied the game for the Lions after the Rams came roaring back to life in the second half. The Lions then won the coin toss in overtime and drove the field to score the game-winning touchdown, never giving the ball back to the Rams. Up next for Goff and the Lions is a home date with the Buccaneers in Week 2, a matchup that could tilt more production to the aerial game.

Robinson made good on his status as the clear third option in head coach Sean McVay’s 11-personnel-heavy offense, playing almost every down en route to seven targets. Of note, Puka Nacua left the game early in the second quarter after aggravating a knee injury that had him on the injury report leading up to the game, potentially vaulting Robinson into a secondary role should Nacua miss any time moving forward.

Parkinson played most of the game for the Rams, filling in admirably as the primary all-purpose tight end for Sean McVay’s 11-personnel-heavy offense. Backup tight end Davis Allen played sparingly and saw just one target, meaning Parkinson can likely be started with confidence on a weekly basis in deep leagues and scooped off the wire for consistent floor.

Fellow wide receiver Puka Nacua left the game early in the second quarter after aggravating a knee injury that had him on the injury report leading up to the game, paving the way for Kupp to tie a career high in receptions with 14. Before Nacua departed, Kupp slightly edged the second-year receiver in targets at five to four, with each pass-catcher also seeing a carry in the first quarter. Nacua’s injury could force him to miss time in the coming weeks, during which Kupp will serve as the primary cog of the offense through the air. It is unlikely Matthew Stafford is forced to attempt 49 passes in Week 2 against a Cardinals opponent that can be beaten on the ground, but Kupp still carries immense upside for as long as Nacua remains out. Either way, Kupp currently looks like a solid bet for steal of the fantasy draft status this season.

The biggest takeaway from Week 1 for Williams was his continued workhorse status in a Rams backfield that came into the season with some question marks following the selection of Blake Corum in the third round of this year’s draft. Corum was active but did not see a running back opportunity, instead ceding backup work to Ronnie Rivers. Williams saw 21 of a total 23 running back opportunities and should see better fantasy days ahead against opponents not as stout against the run as the Lions. One such occasion occurs in Week 2 when the Rams travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals.