Josh Allen's Legs Carry Bills Past Stafford's Rams in OT Thriller
Allen piled up 121 rushing yards and a score on just 10 carries, outrunning Stafford's 383-yard night in Buffalo's overtime win.
League-leading 8 rush TDs make him the undisputed QB1 every week.
- Allen: 121 rush yds, TD on 10 carries vs Rams
- Allen leads NFL with 8 rushing TDs in 2026
- Stafford: 383 pass yds, 3 TD, 74.1% completions
- Allen is our QB1, #4 overall (151 PPR pts, 2026)
- Stafford sits at QB16, #41 overall (89 PPR pts, 2026)
Buffalo walked out of Monday night with an overtime win over the Rams, and the fantasy story is written in Josh Allen's rushing line: 121 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries. He threw 35 fewer passes than Matthew Stafford and still finished with 173 fewer passing yards — but it didn't matter, because Allen's legs did the heavy lifting again. He now leads the NFL with eight rushing touchdowns through five games.
Stafford, for his part, was spectacular on paper. The 38-year-old threw for 383 yards and three scores while completing 74.1% of his throws, and he's currently pacing the league in attempts, completions and passing yards in 2026. The problem for the Rams: great passing numbers in a loss don't win you a playoff spot, and great passing numbers in a loss don't change the fantasy math much either.
The postgame moment got the headlines. Allen called Stafford as tough as they come and said that if Stafford isn't the greatest thrower of the football in history, he doesn't know who is. He walked it back slightly in his press conference, bumping Stafford to No. 2 — an unspoken nod to the Aaron Rodgers crowd that's long held that unofficial title. Nice theater. Doesn't move a single roster.
The Fantasy Fallout
Here's the part your lineup cares about. Allen is our QB1 and #4 overall, sitting on 151 PPR points in 2026 — a number almost nobody else at the position can sniff. His last five games are running 1.8 fantasy points below his own season average, which tells you how insanely high that baseline is. That dip is noise. His rushing floor makes him matchup-proof and the reigning front-runner to repeat as MVP.
Stafford is a different conversation. Despite leading the league in volume, he's only our QB16 at #41 overall with 89 PPR points this season, dragged down by six interceptions already. The yards are loud; the efficiency and the turnovers quietly cap his upside in standard formats. He's a streamer-plus, not a set-and-forget guy.
Bottom line: start Allen every week and never think twice — the rushing production gives him a weekly ceiling no other QB can match. Stafford is a fine QB2 or bye-week fill-in when the matchup and game script line up, but the pick-six risk and the Rams' sputtering season mean you're renting, not buying. Keep him on the bench behind any top-10 arm.
