Getty Gallery: 3/11
No. 9 Inglorious Staffords
Matthew Stafford has traditionally been one of the most undervalued fantasy quarterbacks, despite being one of the more consistent options. According to Fantasy Pros, Stafford has an ADP of 96 putting him as QB11, which is typical for where the Lions quarterback traditionally goes in drafts. Stafford has thrown for at least 4,200 yards in every season since 2011. Last season, he threw for 4,446 yards, 29 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. Stafford manages to do this every year despite not having amazing weapons around him. The Lions have a receiving core of Golden Tate, Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones. These are all solid options, but do not compare to the weapons of some of the other top quarterbacks.
Stafford has been so consistent that you know what you are getting from the Lions quarterback. ESPN ranked Stafford as the No. 8 most valuable quarterback to his team.
"It is well-known that Detroit hasn't had much of a running game since Barry Sanders retired after the 1998 season," ESPN's Scott Kacsmar explainED. "Last year, the Lions finished last in rushing yards (1,221) and yards per carry (3.4), so it's no surprise to see Stafford finish with the third-worst EPA from his non-QB teammates. At least the defense (ranked 13th) and special teams (seventh) were more respectable last year and might improve now that Matt Patricia has taken over as coach."
This name comes from Athlon, and is a play on the Brad Pitt hit Inglorious Basterds. New Lions coach Matt Patricia spent years trying to defend Stafford as a defensive coordinator, and he spoke to M Live about why Stafford has been so successful.
"As a guy trying to coordinate against him, he's very difficult to defend," Patricia explained to M Live. "Sometimes you look at quarterbacks and say, 'OK, is this a cerebral quarterback? Or is this a system quarterback? Is it a guy that has a really good arm? Is it strong? Is it accurate? How does he make his throws? Is he mobile? Is he not mobile? Does he have command of the offense or is it more coordinator-led? You kind of look at all of that. And this is a guy that's more along the lines of just totally complete...When you're looking at that as a defensive coordinator, he's checking all those boxes, like, 'yup, yup, yup, yup. Oh [expletive].' He's just very difficult from that standpoint."
Patricia's hire does not do much for Stafford's fantasy value, but it also does not hurt it. The Lions retained offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, who has helped Stafford maintain his fantasy relevance. While I don't expect Stafford to be a top-five quarterback, he should end the season inside the top 12. This puts Stafford right in line with where he is being drafted. He may not have the upside of some of the younger quarterbacks, but he also does not carry the same amount of risk.