The Worksheet, a fantasy football overview by Rich Hribar, breaking down everything you need to know for the Week 2 Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams Sunday afternoon game.
| Atlanta | Rank | @ | LA Rams | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Spread | -10 | ||
| 18.8 | Implied Total | 28.8 | ||
| 26 | 7 | Points/Gm | 10 | 27 |
| 27 | 27 | Points All./Gm | 31 | 29 |
| 71 | 6 | Plays/Gm | 66 | 10 |
| 57 | 7 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 58 | 8 |
| 5.9 | 10 | Off. Yards/Play | 3.7 | 31 |
| 28 | 6.8 | Def. Yards/Play | 31 | 7.1 |
| 53.52% | 5 | Rush% | 27.27% | 30 |
| 46.48% | 28 | Pass% | 72.73% | 3 |
| 33.33% | 8 | Opp. Rush % | 43.10% | 22 |
| 66.67% | 25 | Opp. Pass % | 56.90% | 11 |
- Under Sean McVay, the Rams are 12-4 (10-5-1 ATS) with a rest advantage, tied for second in the league over that span both outright and against the spread.
- The Rams averaged 3.68 yards per play in Week 1, ahead of only the Bears.
- It was the fewest yards per play for the Rams in a game since Week 6, 2019 (3.14 yards per play).
- Matthew Stafford had the lowest first down passer rating in Week 1 (31.4), averaging 4.2 yards per pass attempt with zero touchdowns and two interceptions on first down passes.
- The Rams took a sack on 14.6% of their Week 1 dropbacks (31st in the league) after a 4.8% rate in 2021 (sixth).
- Atlanta forced a sack on 10.5% of dropbacks in Week 1 (sixth) after a 3.0% rate in 2021 (32nd).
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford: Stafford was arguably the worst quarterback in the league in Week 1 based on expectations prior to the Cowboys taking the field on Sunday night. The only quarterbacks with a worse EPA per dropback than Stafford to open the year were Mac Jones, Jacoby Brissett, Daniel Jones, and Dak Prescott.
Stafford was under a lot of pressure (38.0% of his dropbacks) and sacked seven times. The team lost center Brian Allen in the opener, further shuffling things up front moving forward. Coleman Shelton moves from right guard to center and 2020 seventh-round pick Tremayne Anchrum will play right guard in his first career start this week.
But even when kept clean, Stafford averaged just 5.7 yards per pass attempt with two interceptions in the opener. This was more about Stafford’s play firsthand, then the offensive line and the toughest pass defense from 2021 piled on.
Last week’s outcome feels a lot like when the Packers were flooded in Week 1 a year ago and then came back strong. With a long layoff to regroup, this should feel like a new start to the season for the Rams and they are massive home favorites.
While I do still have questions about the Rams’ offensive line and still question how healthy Stafford’s elbow is, Sean McVay has built up too much of a good offensive resume to fully eject after one game.
I am buying what the market is implying here as far as a game outcome, and I expect this passing game to bounce back and for Stafford to be a QB1 for fantasy. Atlanta held up defensively for three quarters last week, but then we saw the pass defense we were expecting to see as Jameis Winston closed Week 1 as the QB6 in fantasy scoring.
