Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 15th @ 4:25 PM ET
Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Betting Odds: LA-7, 48.5 total via PFF.com
Network: FOX
Writer: Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ on Twitter/X)
Arizona Cardinals
Quarterbacks
Joshua Dobbs (Sit)
Joshua Dobbs has been a surprise this season, not only IRL but also offering fantasy value the past few weeks. However, Week 5 wasn’t so favorable for him, as he threw for only 166 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. The Rams’ defense has been middle-of-the-pack, allowing the 14th most fantasy points to QBs this season, but Dobbs does hold a 6:2 passing touchdown-to-INT ratio thus far. With this week being a light BYE week – Pittsburgh and Green Bay – the need for a streaming QB such as Dobbs is light.
Running Backs
Emari Demercado (Start, FLEX), Keaontay Ingram (Sit)
James Conner hit the IR with a knee injury on Tuesday, and so that means rookie Emari Demercado is the next man up in the Arizona backfield. When Conner went down, Demercado handled the workload the rest of the game, turning 10 carries into 45 yards and a touchdown. He was a popular waiver add on Wednesday and will be forced into your lineup off volume potential alone.
Keaontay Ingram lurks behind – and was actually listed ahead of Demercado on the Wednesday depth chart – but is not a recommended start this week. The Rams have been strong against the run this season, allowing the 25th most fantasy points to RBs this year.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Marquise Brown (Start, WR2), Michael Wilson (Sit), Rondale Moore (Sit), Zach Ertz (Start, TE2)
Marquise Brown has been a reliable option out of the Cardinals offense since Week 2, averaging 16.8 points in full-PPR formats in that span. He has 25 receptions for 300 yards and three touchdowns, but the task will be tough this week against the Rams defense that is allowing the 27th most points to WRs on the year. It’s also worth noting that Hollywood did not practice on Wednesday, and the injury is unknown at the time of writing; he’ll be one to monitor the rest of the week leading up to Sunday.
Michael Wilson was a popular wire add leading into Week 5 but laid a dud. He was only targeted twice, despite owning a 75% snap share in the game, and he caught one of those looks for 18 yards. Rondale Moore had the better game of the two, catching three of five targets for 26 yards, as well as three carries for 50 yards. That being said, if Brown is healthy, he would be the only WR worth starting.
Tight end Zach Ertz caught one of Dobbs’ touchdowns, which saved his fantasy day considering he had just two receptions for 10 yards. The Rams are struggling against tight ends this year, allowing the fifth-most points to the position, and with that Ertz projects to finish as the TE14 on the week in full-PPR formats, as per FantasyData.
Los Angeles Rams
Quarterbacks
Matthew Stafford (Start, QB1)
Albeit a surprise to many, Matthew Stafford started off the season in solid fashion, throwing for more than 260 yards in four of the first five games. In the Week 5 loss to the Eagles, Stafford threw for only 222 yards, but did take care of the ball and had two touchdowns. On 37 attempts, his targets were wide-spread between the pass catchers; especially to a notable returnee WR. All that said, look for Stafford to have a potentially big game against a Cardinals defense allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to QBs this season.
Running Backs
Kyren Williams (Start, RB2)
Kyren Williams saw his second-lowest carry total (13) against Philly since he had 10 in Week 3, and didn’t do much with the workload. He turned those 13 touches into 53 scoreless yards, adding on two receptions on two targets for four yards. Entering the week, it was to be believed he had a hip injury, but it didn’t really limit him. The issue going forward is the return of Cooper Kupp stealing his targets in the passing game. However, when you compare Williams to Ronnie Rivers, Rivers had only one touch against the Eagles, so the backfield will remain Williams’. He should bounce back against an Arizona defense that’s allowed the 4th most fantasy points to RBs so far this year.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Cooper Kupp (Start, WR1), Puka Nacua (Start, WR2 with WR1 upside), Tutu Atwell (Start, FLEX), Tyler Higbee (Start, TE2)
Earlier I alluded to the fact that Stafford had 37 attempts against Philadelphia, and he spread the ball to four different wide receivers. With Kupp making his season debut, he led the way with 12, but waiver darling Puka Nacua was right behind him with 11. As the season moves forward, it will be interesting to see how the target share continues to shake out, but for now, there aren’t any signs that Nacua is taking a sudden backseat to Kupp. Set to face a very loose Cardinals secondary, look for Nacua to output WR2 numbers with WR1 upside, and Kupp to see his double-digit target share as the WR1 in LA.
Even Tutu Atwell offers FLEX consideration if you find yourself missing the likes of George Pickens and Christian Watson who are both on their BYE.
Tyler Higbee had a down game against the Eagles, targeted only three times, catching two passes for 20 scoreless yards. Brace for him to lose his target share to Kupp as the season goes on, but in a pass-first offense, he still offers TE2 value given the fact that the tight end landscape is so weak around the league.