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Welcome to our Cardinals vs. Rams fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em matchups analysis article for Week 6 of the 2023 NFL season.
Read our matchups analysis, player breakdowns, and lineup recommendations for the matchup and set those winning lineups. Good luck RotoBallers!
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams
Spread: Rams -7.0
Implied Total: Cardinals (21) vs. Rams (28)
Pace: Cardinals (9th) vs. Rams (24th)
Cardinals Off. DVOA: 24.4% Pass (10th), 8.2% Rush (6th)
Rams Off. DVOA: 19.5% Pass (12th), 4.0% Rush (7th)
Cardinals Def. DVOA: 33.2% Pass (30th), -1.0% Rush (26th)
Rams Def. DVOA: 14.8% Pass (22nd), -1.7% Rush (25th)
Matchups We Love
Matthew Stafford (QB, LAR)
Cooper Kupp returns and Stafford has his first multi-touchdown game of the season. Sometimes it's just that simple. While the Eagles' secondary has been beatable, their defensive front is still elite. They rank seventh in pass rush, according to PFF, which is part of what caused so many incompletions from Stafford.
The Cardinals sit 20 spots lower, meaning he'll have a lot more time to throw the ball to his trio of receivers, tight end, and tailback. He's a high-end streamer.
Rams WRs
Kupp immediately took back his No. 1 role, which was easy to anticipate. He also earned the most targets and finished as the WR11 without a touchdown. The long-term concerns of re-injury are there, but on a weekly basis, he's back to being among the elite wideouts. Puka Nacua proved they can co-exist, which is reassuring.
Their roles are different, but the ball can only go to one player every play, so there was some hesitation from that perspective. He and Tutu Atwell were the ones to find pay dirt, which is promising for their future usage in that area of the field. They operated out of three-wide receiver sets 100 percent of the time last week, which is exciting for Atwell. Also, the great news is that the team traded away Van Jefferson. It locks him into the No. 3 spot on the depth chart and enables him to have flex value, especially this week.
Kyren Williams (RB, LAR)
53 yards rushing against Philly is around what you'd guess he ends up with. The two targets weren't as many as you'd hope for, which might mean reevaluating his receiving role. He still played 84% of the snaps and saw all but one of the backfield touches, so against Arizona, it'll be a better day. We'll look to note how frequently he's used in the passing attack this week, but for now, he's a top-15 back.
Matchups We Hate
Cardinals RB
James Conner suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for at least four weeks after being placed on the Injured Reserve. Yes, there's a lot of that this week. Emari Demercado, who we identified as the pass-catching backup, took over after Conner exited. It's a bit murky though. The team is hopeful that Keaontay Ingram, who sat out last week with a neck issue, will play.
They also claimed Tony Jones Jr. and Damien Williams while promoting Corey Clement from their practice squad. Add in Rondale Moore taking away carries and it's messy. Demercado is the best of the bunch. He'd be a flex option with Ingram out and a desperation flex option if he's active.
UPDATE: Ingram is good to go, reducing the excitement for Demarcado, who remains the preferred choice.
Joshua Dobbs (QB, ARI)
It was a poor performance from Dobbs, who committed three turnovers and only ran the ball three times. Placing him here is not so much a reaction to his output, but rather a caution because they lost Conner, are struggling more offensively, and the Rams are gaining confidence. He still tossed two touchdowns and has the ability to run, so he's a streaming candidate, just one with more risk.
Other Matchups
Tyler Higbee (TE, LAR)
As we mentioned off the top, incompletions were an issue. With only 22 completed passes, it's difficult for the auxiliary pieces to succeed. Higbee may become more matchup-dependent. Thankfully, the Cardinals would fit that description.
Marquise Brown (WR, ARI)
Brown operated as the alpha wide receiver in the offense, earning 10 targets. He only finished with four catches but did find the end zone to make him worth a start. His yards per route run of 2.01 rank a few spots below his teammate Michael Wilson at 2.09, but the targets per route run of 28% rank 14th among qualified receivers. He's surviving on volume more so than talent, but part of that is the recent decline in the offense, including just 15 completions from Dobbs against the Bengals. Wilson disappeared with only one catch for 18 yards, but as a rookie, these sorts of situations are more common. We referenced Moore's involvement in the backfield, which is likely to continue given their personnel at the RB position. He and Wilson are flex options while Brown is in the top 36.
Zach Ertz (TE, ARI)
The lower passing completions hurt Ertz's value as well. Luckily, he salvaged his day with a touchdown. At the tight end position, that's enough to be a streamer, which is where he fits in this week.
Notable Injuries
Kyler Murray (knee)
James Conner (knee)
Keaontay Ingram (neck)
Marquise Brown (illness)
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