Matthew Stafford Fantasy

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (back) said his back is healing "as it should" and that the injury won't be something that's an issue in 2020 or beyond. Stafford will miss his fifth straight game in Week 14 against the Vikings, though, and it seems unlikely he'll return in 2019. The Lions are 0-4 in Stafford's absence and are now down to third-stringer David Blough after Jeff Driskel (hamstring) was put on Injured Reserve last weekend. Before his injury, Stafford had 2,499 yards and 19 touchdowns in the first eight games of the season. He was on pace to set career highs in passer rating (106) and yards per attempt (8.6). Heading into next season, Stafford will be a highly coveted high-end QB2 for fantasy owners.

Dec. 4th • 7:51 PM

Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia said that the team is "going to keep that door open" for quarterback Matthew Stafford (back) to return this year "out of respect for Matthew and his competitiveness." With just four games remaining and the Lions out of playoff contention, though, it seems like a long shot that we'll see Stafford back on the field again in 2019. It's a shame, too, since he was having a career year before his injury. Jeff Driskel was put on Injured Reserve over the weekend, so David Blough will remain the starter for the foreseeable future. He didn't embarrass himself against Chicago on Thanksgiving, but he'll be a low-end QB2 for as long as he's starting.

Dec. 2nd • 3:32 PM

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (back, hip) missed practice all week and has been ruled out for Week 13 against the Bears on Thursday. It will be his fourth straight missed game, but Stafford does want to return to play in 2019 when he's cleared by doctors. With the fantasy playoffs starting next week in most leagues, time is running out for Stafford to help his fantasy owners in what had been a career year before his injury. With Jeff Driskel questionable to suit up on Thanksgiving Day, rookie David Blough would be the fill-in against a tough Chicago defense.

Nov. 27th • 3:42 PM