<p>I know, it is confusing :)</p>
<p>It does NOT mean that being a finalist has no bearing - it means that you will have to fill out the Stanford application in RD (if not matched with Stanford in the Match round) and that the QB application will only act as a supplement in RD (not the whole application as in the case of some other schools, Brown for instance). BUT, that’s still three more essays for them to get to know you better, so yes, it does help 
Hope that was somewhat clear.</p>