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The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams face off for the first time since their Super Bowl matchup. But instead of Tom Brady leading the way for the Patriots, we get Cam Newton and a well-coached, but talent lacking offense. The Rams have shown signs of returning to their Super Bowl selves, but still have plenty of inconsistencies.
Below, we will look at some of the fantasy plays that make the most sense for this week while we navigate the fantasy football playoffs.
Start
Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams
Robert Woods, WR, Rams
I can understand playing Cam Akers this week, but his shoulder injury and the Patriots ability to slow games down worries me. That’s why I am sticking pretty closely to the safer plays in this matchup. And that usually means Kupp and Woods. And if your eyes wandered down to the sits, you’ll see Goff on there and wonder why I am recommending sitting him while starting his two best receivers. It’s somewhat risky, as a bad game for Goff could equal a bad game for Kupp or Woods or both, but that’s not always the case. I think we can downgrade these two receivers a little, but still expect strong floors in PPR leagues without much of a stretch.
Sit
Cam Newton, QB, Patriots
At this point, you need at least one and hopefully two rushing touchdowns from Newton to assure a useful fantasy game, as his passing yards and touchdown numbers are abysmal. He does have two big passing yardage games against the Seahawks and Texans, but hasn’t topped 180 yards passing in any other game and has five passing touchdowns to nine interceptions. But, he does have 11 rushing touchdowns. The trouble is, the Rams have been the best defense at limiting quarterback fantasy points on the season.
Jared Goff, QB, Rams
Goff has just three passing touchdowns in five home games this season, while he has 14 in seven road games. That just shows you how inconsistent he has been this season. And now he gets a Patriots defense and Bill Belichick, who had Goff completely befuddled when they met last in the Super Bowl.