The Week 4 matchup between the Detroit Lions and the New York Jets features an elite quarterback against one that's struggling. We've got the fantasy projections for you courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 4: Lions-Jets featuring Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Geno Smith
We break down the Week 4 matchup between the Detroit Lions and the New York Jets.
Gregory Shamus
Detroit Lions
The Lions' win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 3 turned out to be more of a defensive battle than offensive shootout, which is usually the case when the two combatants lined up against each other. It's good that the Lions were able to walk away with the win because quarterback Matthew Stafford wasn't exactly at his best last week. He threw two interceptions and was unable to find the end zone for a touchdown. While the New York Jets boast a solid defense, fantasy owners need not bet against Stafford throwing a touchdown this week, especially with wide receiver Calvin Johnson on his side.
The Jets give up a lot of fantasy points to wide receivers and Johnson has been held under 100 yards and failed to record a touchdown in each of the last two games, so to see him break out against the Jets for a big afternoon is a strong possibility. There’s no doubt he’ll be double- and triple-teamed many times during the game, but Johnson seems to be able to get open no matter who is on him. He is definitely a must-start receiver this week, as is always the case.
New York Jets
The Jets had an opportunity to mount a comeback win against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football last week, but quarterback Geno Smith made some bad decisions that played a big part in costing his team the game. Jets' ownership has already given Smith a vote of confidence as the organization would like to see him develop further this season. While it sounds like he will be starting moving forward, he has yet to make the jump into a reliable fantasy quarterback. In light of how much the Lions dominated Aaron Rodgers and the Packers last week on the defensive side of the football, Smith might be in for a tough week.
One aspect of the Jets' offense that is steadily improving as the season goes along is the running game. Statistically speaking the team started the season carrying out a running back by committee system, but in last week's game it became clear that Chris Ivory was looking like the more effective option over veteran teammate Chris Johnson. The Lions have a tough front line, but given the Jets lack receiving options outside of Jeremy Kerley, Ivory could be a surprise in fantasy leagues this week.
