Super Bowl DFS Position Coaches:
QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
It is finally the week of Super Bowl 56 and we have the Los Angeles Rams facing off against the Cincinnati Bengals. From an NFL DFS and fantasy football perspective, there are plenty of key matchups to focus on. With this being the quarterback coach, though, let’s examine the matchups for Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow and identify which you should be building your DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo DFS lineups around this weekend!
Talk about a trade paying instant dividends, huh? The Rams acquired Stafford this offseason from the Lions in a deal that sent Jared Goff, two first-round picks, and a third-round pick to Detroit. Stafford completed 67.2% of his passes for 4,886 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions during the regular season and has continued that success into the playoffs. During the postseason, he's thrown for 905 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception while adding two rushing touchdowns as well.
The Rams offense ranked seventh in pass DVOA this season, which should be no surprise seeing as they had the league's receiving leader in Cooper Kupp – who finished the year with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. Kupp has had a fantastic postseason as well, totaling 25 receptions for 386 yards and four touchdowns. This is the key combo when choosing Stafford as your quarterback for DFS lineups this weekend. Of the 14 teams that were in the playoffs, the Bengals' defense pass DVOA ranking is just eighth – and they weren’t very good during the regular season either, ranking 24th.
Even if the Bengals do decide to blanket cover Kupp, the Rams made another in-season splash by acquiring Odell Beckham Jr. OBJ appeared in eight games with the Rams and finished with 27 receptions for 305 yards and five touchdowns. During the postseason, OBJ has 19 catches for 236 yards and a score over the three games. In addition to OBJ, there is also Van Jefferson for the Bengals to worry about as well. While Jefferson hasn’t made much of an impact of late, he is still a deep threat that had some good games during the regular season.
Stafford is the more expensive quarterback in DFS contests for a reason and, at least to me, he is well worth the spend-up.
The second-year quarterback had a great regular season, completing 70.4% of his passes for 4,611 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He finished the season on a tear, throwing for nearly 1,500 yards with 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions over the final four games as he led the Bengals to the AFC North division title.
The playoffs have been a bit of a mixed bag for Burrow. Through three games, he has completed 68.8% of his passes for 842 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. He led a big comeback in the AFC Championship game over the Chiefs after really struggling during the first half of that contest. In the Divisional matchup against the Titans, he was sacked nine times while managing to throw for 348 yards.
His matchup this weekend will be one of the toughest he has faced all season, with the Rams' defense ranking sixth in DVOA against the pass during the regular season and second in DVOA against the pass during the playoffs. The Rams finished third in the NFL in both interceptions and sacks this season. Los Angeles acquired Von Miller from the Broncos at the deadline to add to their star-studded defense led by Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey.
So, is Burrow worth the start this week? I don’t see him being a core play for me. The Bengals allowed the third-most sacks in the NFL this season and I worry about the ability to keep Burrow upright during this matchup against such an elite defense. Sure, there is plenty of skill-position talent on the offensive side of the football with the likes of all-rookie Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and Joe Mixon. But Burrow needs to have time in the pocket to allow those guys to get open and – after seeing him get sacked nine times against the Titans – I do worry about that happening here. Burrow is fine if you are making multiple lineups and looking to be contrarian. Again there are only two options here, but Stafford seems like the much safer pick here given the matchup.
Player News
RB Cam Akers is visiting the Saints on Tuesday.
Saints beat reporter Nick Underhill sourced the report, which indicates the team is not fully happy with the state of their backfield, consisting of Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller, 2025 sixth-round pick Devin Neal, former first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire, former wide receiver Velus Jones, and Xazavian Valladay. They’ll see what Akers has left in the tank, with their ultimate goal being to eventually trade him to the Vikings in Week 7, as is NFL tradition.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson will seek another opinion from surgeon Neal ElAttrache later this week.
ElAttrache is the surgeon that performed the surgery on Richardson’s throwing shoulder in 2023 and is not a name Colts fans want to hear in the news regarding their quarterback. It was previously reported that no structural damage was found after a scan on his shoulder was performed Friday, but any lingering inflammation and soreness almost two years after surgery is noteworthy. The team does not believe he will require another surgery at this time.
Texans signed RB Nick Chubb to a one-year, $2.5 million contract.
The former workhorse finds a new home after another lost season due to injury, landing in Houston on a one-year deal that carries a maximum value of $5 million. The incentive-laden contract makes sense for both parties considering Chubb’s recent injury history, providing a proven low cost option behind Joe Mixon in the backfield pecking order. Chubb passed his team physical Monday, prompting the signing and also indicating that he is on track in his return from a broken foot that ended his 2024 season after just eight games.
The Jaguars signed P Logan Cooke to a four-year, $16 million contract extension.
The seven-year veteran, who turns 30 next month, is coming off a strong year. In 2024, Cooke earned his first Pro Bowl selection after setting a career high in net punting average (44.8), which ranked second highest in the NFL. Cooke also pinned 34 of his 68 punts (50 percent) inside the 20, which tied for fourth most in the NFL. Cooke has spent his entire career with the Jaguars, who drafted him in the seventh round in 2018.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports the Falcons expect Kirk Cousins to report to mandatory minicamp.
The 13-year veteran quarterback did not attend the Falcons voluntary OTAs in May, but did work out with the team in April. The team has repeatedly committed to Michael Penix as the Week 1 starter, even suggesting they could keep Cousins — scheduled to make $40 million in 2025 — as Penix’s backup. Cousins, who will be 37 at the start of the 2025 season, threw for 3508-18-16 in 14 games last season and had an abysmal five-game stretch in which he threw just one touchdown to nine interceptions, which ultimately led to his benching. The Falcons remain open to trading Cousins for the right price but that has not been met by any teams who have shown interest.
Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright said he’s in better shape than he was as a rookie.
Fantasy managers taking late-round stabs on Wright this season will be happy to hear this. The speedy second-year back said he “lost a lot of body fat” this offseason while gaining “a lot of muscle” and estimating that he’s put on roughly six pounds. It’s a marginal increase, but one that Wright clearly hopes will help him better manage his second year in the pros as he’s expected to take on a bigger role with Raheem Mostert now out of the way. Wright rushed 68 times for 249 scoreless yards last season and posted a 9-6-0 rushing line over his final five games of the season. It was disappointing, to say the least. Wright will hopefully have more value as a handcuff to De’Von Achane this season, but any stand alone value will likely be dependent on Achane’s availability.