In NFL daily fantasy leagues, matchups are important. Pay attention to favorable matchups rather than the overall quality of individual players. It is better to select an above-average offensive player facing poor to average defense than an elite talent facing above-average to elite defense.

Each position is ranked according to one of these four ratings: Elite, Above-average, Average, and Poor.

Offense

QB Sam Bradford: Average

RB Zac Stacy, Tre Mason: Above-average

WR1 Austin Pettis: Average

WR2 Chris Givens: Average

Slot WR Tavon Austin: Above-average

TE Jared Cook: Average

O-line: LT Jake Long, LG Greg Robinson, C Scott Wells, RG Roger Saffold, RT Joe Barksdale: Above-average

We’ve seen enough of Bradford at this point to know not to expect anything more than average play. It might help Bradford that WRs tend to take a year or two to develop into a productive player, so it’s reasonable to assume that 2013 top 10 pick Tavon Austin will rebound this year after a disappointing rookie campaign.

Stacy was surprisingly effective last year, but his production tailed off by the end of the season, and 2014 3^rd round selection Tre Mason is sure to bite into his carries. Stacy may no longer be a viable RB option.

Defense

CB1 Trumaine Johnson: Average

CB2 Janoris Jenkins: Average

Nickel CB Lamarcus Joyner: Average

Safeties: SS T.J. McDonald, FS Rodney McLeod: Average

Linebackers: WLB Alec Ogletree, MLB James Lauranitis, SLB JoLonn Dunbar: Average

D-line: DE Robert Quinn, DT Aaron Donald, DT Tony McDaniel, DE Chris Long: Elite

Don’t be fooled by the excellent linemen on this squad: the Rams defense as a whole is remarkably average.  Hesitate to take RBs against St. Louis, and be aware that QBs will terrorized by Quinn, Long, and rookie 3-tech DT Donald. But, WRs have an enticing matchup against this poor secondary.