Stay Off The Matt Stafford Bandwagon

Matt Stafford is a good young quarterback. His five touchdown performance was the first by a rookie since the 1930s. His game-winning, one yard TD pass with no time left on the clock AND with an injured shoulder was the kind of play fans will remember for years.

Matthew Stafford took a crushing hit at the end of what could have been a crushing loss for the Lions. His left shoulder was injured. He was grimacing in pain. He was on his back on the sideline.
But he got up. He had led the Lions to a comeback once already Sunday and was determined to do it again. He eluded the doctors, ran onto the field and threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brandon Pettigrew with no time left, lifting the Lions to an inspiring 38-37 victory.
“It shows how much heart he has,” Pettigrew said. “He’s the guy.”

In a couple of years Stafford could be a one of the better young QBs in the league. However you should not -- repeat not -- start him on your fantasy team. While anybody who throws five TDs in a game should get your fantasy attention, it’s important to remember that he threw those TDs against the Browns.

The Browns.

Let me repeat that so it sinks in: The. Cleveland. Browns.

Unfortunately for Stafford, he doesn’t play the Browns again this season. Instead, he faces a crushing schedule of Green Bay, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Arizona. Those are four teams likely to shut down Stafford and the Lions offense. Tight end Brandon Pettigrew (who caught the winning TD) might be a good choice if you really need a tight end and if you have Kevin Smith you probably need to start him, but don’t let Stafford’s great performance go to your head.