The Week 6 matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings features two teams that could be missing their biggest stars on Sunday. We have the fantasy projections for you courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 6: Lions-Vikings featuring Matthew Stafford, Golden Tate and Teddy Bridgewater
We break down the Week 6 matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings.
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Detroit Lions
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was corralled by the Buffalo Bills defense last week and threw only one touchdown to go with one interception and 231 yards passing. Considering the way he's usually performed in fantasy leagues in recent years, he's had an underwhelming season so far. Nevertheless, he should be in for a good day against the Vikings, who conceded three touchdowns to the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers on just 12 completions last week.
Unfortunately for Stafford, he will probably be without marquee wide receiver Calvin Johnson (ankle) for the contest. Even if head coach Jim Caldwell does give Johnson the nod to play, its likely that teammate Golden Tate will be the more effective pass catcher of the two. Tate caught a touchdown against the Bills last week, and he is likely to see a lot of targets this week regardless of whether Johnson plays.
Minnesota Vikings
After getting absolutely smoked by the Packers in Week 5, the Vikings couldn't be happier to have rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater back in the lineup for the game against the Lions. He's a versatile passer who is also a threat to run the ball, and he showed that he can hang with the big boys in his first career start two weeks ago against the Atlanta Falcons. He may prove to be a surprise fantasy performer in Week 6.
When the Vikings to run the ball, they will count on a combination of Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon to do their thing. It was the rookie McKinnon who was more effective against the Packers last week, and he is generally considered to be more explosive than Asiata. However, Asiata is a better pass blocker, and he gets more of the goal line touches. It remains to be seen when the scales will tip and the touches start favoring McKinnon more. Either way, both rushers could be in for a long Sunday afternoon against a Lions run defense that is fairly good.
