Sam Howell Week 1 Outlook - Rams at Seahawks

By Derek Brown (FantasyPros), Sun, Sep 10th 2023, 12:05pm EDT

The second-year man out of UNC impressed over the summer and preseason contests to earn the starting job in the nation's capital. I for one, am not too surprised considering every time Howell has gotten an opportunity to play, he has performed well. During the preseason, he completed 76% of his passes for 265 yards and 3 TDs. Good for an impressive 122.0 passer rating. And during his Week 18 start last year, Howell was equally as effective. Averaged 8.8 yards per attempt with two TDs (one passing, one rushing) and 35 yards on the ground to boot. Again, his early success is not surprising to any that followed his college profile. When he had legitimate NFL talent around him at North Carolina back in 2020, he finished as the nation's sixth highest-graded quarterback (92.3) and fourth-best deep passer (98.0). Howell's got all the tools to be a fantasy-friendly quarterback, and there's no better spot for him to be in than against a lowly Arizona Cardinals defense that is playing for the 2024 season. They boast PFF"s 32nd-ranked defensive line and 29th-ranked secondary. This defense is potentially WORSE than it was last season, when it was a consensus bottom-10 unit in most metrics, "highlighted" by allowing the league's second-highest passer rating.