It took all 60 of the game's minutes, but the Detroit Lions managed a 22-21 win Sunday in London over the Atlanta Falcons. The Lions trailed 21-0 at halftime, but dominated the second half to pull off a win and improve to 6-2.
Golden Tate shines, Joique Bell struggles for fantasy owners in Lions’ Week 8 win
Detroit didn’t lead for a single second of Sunday’s game, but scored with no time left to win anyway. We break down the fantasy implications.
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The Lions got three second-half field goals from recently acquired kicker Matt Prater in the second half, including one that went through the uprights with no time left on the clock to win the game. Prater missed his first attempt, but a delay-of-game penalty against the Lions let the team kick again.
Now for a look at the game’s fantasy performances:
Matthew Stafford: The quarterback had his most passing yards since Week 1, throwing for 325 yards on 24-of-47 passing. He connected for two touchdowns but was intercepted once. His 19 fantasy points is his third-best total of the season, showing that the once-dominant quarterback is now a low-end starter, at least until wide receiver Calvin Johnson and his other options can get back to action.
Joique Bell: With Johnson, running back Reggie Bush and all three of the team's top tight ends out for this game with injury, a lot was expected for Bell against a poor Atlanta run defense, and Bell struggled. He ran the ball 14 times for 39 yards in the game -- only 2.8 yards per attempt -- and caught two passes for 22 yards. Bell has been mostly good this season, but this outing hurt owners who were counting on him.
Theo Riddick: It was Riddick, not Bell, who really benefited from Bush's absence. The running back ran the ball only three times for five yards, but he was very active in the Lions' passing game, catching eight passes (on 12 targets) for 74 yards and a touchdown. In the two games Riddick has played without Bush on the field, he has 13 fantasy points in each one. Basically, he's a strong fantasy option whenever Bush is out.
Golden Tate: The receiver who was signed ostensibly to be the Lions' No. 2 option has instead been elite during Johnson's absence, with four double-digit fantasy days in his last five, including consecutive games of 21 points. Sunday, Tate had seven catches on 15 targets for 151 yards and a touchdown. At 800 yards this season, Tate is within 100 of his career high, a number he should blow past with plenty of room to spare. He's an easy WR1 as long as Johnson is out, and a flex play at worst even when the superstar returns.
