The Detroit Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 17-3, on Sunday to move to 4-2. They were without receiver Calvin Johnson and running back Reggie Bush, so the loss of those playmakers may have limited their overall output on offense. Here's a quick breakdown of how the active players performed and what could be in store next week against the New Orleans Saints:
Lions fantasy football recap: Matt Stafford has a quiet game; Joique Bell plays well
The Lions were missing some playmakers on Sunday and it cost their offense. We break down the fantasy implications.
Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
He clearly missed Calvin Johnson today, completing just 19 of his 33 passes for 185 passing yards and one touchdown. That touchdown came on a swing pass to Theo Riddick, so that line is a little misleading and Stafford couldn't get into a rhythm. He posted a 5.6 yards-per-attempt average, which is well below his 7.9 he had entering the game on the season.
Stafford is going to have some sub-par games on the horizon with Megatron likely missing more time. However, the matchup is just too good against the Saints next week. He’s a top-eight QB in Week 7 and should be a low-end QB1 the rest of the way due to the Lions playing such great defense.
It was supposed to be a massive day for Bell with Reggie Bush out, but it didn’t quite work out that way. He was still effective and posted a line of 74 rushing yards on 18 carries, two catches for 23 yards, and one rushing score. Bell couldn’t break any big runs today and his biggest run was just 13 yards.
Bell was coming off a Week 4 concussion and missed Week 5, so the big workload is a nice positive. He’ll still have a huge role even when Bush returns and should be a solid RB2. He’ll be a must-start player in Week 7, especially if Bush is out.
There were some lofty expectations for Tate today. The Vikings are horrible in pass defense, their best player, linebacker Chad Greenway, didn't play, and no Megatron should have made Tate a favorite target of Stafford. Well, he was targeted a team-high 12 teams, catching seven of them for 44 yards.
Despite the lack of yards, it’s still an encouraging game from Tate. His fantasy owners are certainly not happy with this output, but he’s a good bet for a massive game at home against the Saints. He’s a WR1 and 12 targets will yield a massive line next week.
Theo Riddick
Thanks to a 41-yard touchdown catch, Riddick was the top point scorer in fantasy in the passing game. He finished with five catches and 75 receiving yards to go with his 6 rushing yards. Reggie Bush has a chance to return next week, so Riddick isn’t really a fantasy option, although he’s a solid handcuff in deep PPR leagues.
The rookie tight end took a step back with just two catches for 23 yards. Fantasy owners can probably have higher hopes next week, but he’s only a TE2 at best.
