RADIO
Who should I start for Wild Card Weekend? Fantasy football outlooks for Sam Darnold, Matthew Stafford, T.J. Hockenson. Our expert fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks.
The Wild Card Round of the NFL playoffs wraps up tonight with a matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams.
While most of the playoff games have been blowouts thus far, tonight’s contest should be a competitive matchup.
However, are Sam Darnold, Matthew Stafford, and T.J. Hockenson solid starting options for fantasy players? Let’s dive into it.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Should I Start Sam Darnold For Fantasy Football?
Darnold had an outstanding first year with Minnesota, averaging 18.1 fantasy points per game. The veteran quarterback finished with 35 passing touchdowns, one of the highest totals in the NFL. More importantly, he played well in the Week 8 matchup against the Rams.
Justin Jefferson 97 YARD TUDDY!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/0PJs9mheCK
— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024
The former USC star had 240 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 18.2 fantasy points in the loss. While Los Angeles has a solid defense, they have struggled against elite passing attacks. Darnold is an excellent starting option tonight.
Should I Start Matthew Stafford For Fantasy Football?
Unfortunately, Stafford struggled to end the regular season. He averaged 7.8 fantasy points per game over his final three contests, totaling one passing touchdown. Furthermore, the future Hall of Famer had under 190 passing yards in every matchup.
However, Stafford has had some productive moments this year, totaling 20 passing touchdowns. His best fantasy performance came in Week 8 against the Vikings, totaling 279 passing yards, four touchdowns, and 24.8 fantasy points. While he won’t play that well in the rematch, Stafford is a solid starting option.
MATTHEW STAFFORD TO Demarcus Robinson ONE-HANDED TD TO WIN THE GAME FOR THE @RAMSNFL! pic.twitter.com/xqFG6xQ4eS
— NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2024
Should I Start T.J. Hockenson For Fantasy Football?
The star tight end missed the first half this year recovering from a torn ACL. Unfortunately, he didn’t score a touchdown during the regular season. Hockenson averaged 6.6 half-point PPR fantasy points per game, totaling single digits in 80% of the contests.
Yet, the veteran is an excellent fantasy option tonight against the Rams. Los Angeles struggled to slow down tight ends during the regular season, surrendering 13.3 fantasy points per game, the second-most in the NFL. Last week, they gave up 14.8 fantasy points and a receiving touchdown to Noah Fant.
Smith to Fant! @Seahawks take back the lead.
📺: #SEAvsLAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/i51wgCAGq6— NFL (@NFL) January 6, 2025
More Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks
Tez Johnson, Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Picks for Fantasy Football Week 11
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson, Denver Broncos wideout Courtland Sutton, and his fellow Broncos WR Troy Franklin are three NFL WRs who have gotten significant playing time this season. Each of them has had their stretches of good production in recent games, but that doesn't mean each should be a locked-in starter in […]
Quentin Johnston, Tre Tucker, Parker Washington: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Picks for Fantasy Football Week 11
It's generally easier to find startable wide receivers in fantasy football in the later rounds of the drafts or on waivers. But it's a bit harder to predict how they'll play compared to a team's starting running back, which doesn't help. Looking to their matchups, how they've played recently, how their offense is doing as […]
TreVeyon Henderson, Stefon Diggs, Breece Hall: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Picks for Fantasy Football Week 11
Thursday night football has been a mixed bag for fantasy production. There have been several memorable performances, like Matthew Stafford’s 389-yard passing effort in Week 5 or Ja’Marr Chase’s 161-yard game in Week 7. There was also Week 10’s 10-7 defensive slugfest between the Raiders and Broncos. Week 11’s matchup is between one of the […]
Fact or Fiction: Fantasy Football Outlooks for TreVeyon Henderson, Jalen Nailor, Tez Johnson, Dalton Schultz, Colby Parkinson
Welcome back to Fact or Fiction, our weekly look at the NFL's most surprising performances. Except for this week, where there's no real point in looking at the biggest shock of Week 10. That shock was Houston Texans backup quarterback Davis Mills finishing as the overall QB1 after leading a furious fourth-quarter comeback over the […]
Michael Pittman Jr., Christian Watson, Jakobi Meyers: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Picks for Fantasy Football Week 10
The NFL trade deadline has passed, and the second half of the season is firmly underway. Finding wide receiver depth at this stage of the season can be difficult, and those start-sit decisions become even more critical with playoffs lurking in the distance. In this article, we will evaluate the Week 10 outlooks for three […]
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
