The Cincinnati Bengals roll into downtown Detroit on Sunday after a disappointing home overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers hoping to regain early-season momentum against the winless Lions.
While the Lions are indeed winless thus far in 2021, that doesn’t mean they don’t have some intriguing fantasy options. The Lions currently have scored the 25th most points in the league.
Does this mean we bypass this game for fantasy purposes? Of course not! There are always useful fantasy performances despite the records involved.
A creative and crafty manager can always glean useful fantasy points from even the most putrid of matchups. Now, I’m not saying this is a putrid matchup. It’s not like this is a Texans game, but the perceived lack of fantasy upside for this matchup should be put aside.
Let’s dive deep into a shallow pool and find our Starts and Sits for the Week 6 tilt with the Motor City Kitties.
Start ‘Em – Evan McPherson
Didn’t see that coming, did you? Of course not. Maybe you should’ve.
Show of hands if you lost your faith in the Florida rookie. Put your hand down! The kid will be fine.
Sunday, winds were swirling at Paul Brown Stadium, and Evan McPherson — who had previously been money — missed two potential game-winning field goals. One of these field goals was roughly from downtown Newport while the other was a bit closer.
Either way, the important takeaway was Zac Taylor trusted McPherson to attempt a bomb from the 859 area code. In fantasy terms, that is huge. The longer the kick, the more points.
Against the Lions Sunday, McPherson will be playing in the cozy confines of Ford Field. Kids, this is a dome. If you aren’t excited to see how far McPherson can connect from in a controlled environment, then you must not use kickers in your fantasy league.
The Lions have been frisky kitties in 2021 despite not having any wins. If not for a botched no-call on a delay of game against the Ravens, the Lions would have at least one win on the board and against what looks to be a strong Ravens team.
In a game where points will be at a premium, expect Taylor to run McPherson out every chance possible, and the kid will hit from long range, restoring his confidence and perhaps winning the game.
Prediction: 2 extra points, 3 fields goals, 1 from downtown Windsor, Canada.
Start ‘Em – T.J. Hockenson
As of this writing, Hockenson is considered questionable. However, if he manages to suit up, the former Iowa Hawkeye has shown he is about to enter the conversation as a top five player at his position.
The Lions essentially are devoid of any NFL caliber talent at receiver, so where does Jared Goff look when he drops back? More often than not it has been to Hockenson.
On the year, the third-year tight end has caught 24 of 33 targets with two touchdowns. Those are good numbers for the position.
Historically the Bengals defense has been susceptible to the athletic receiving tight end. Last year showed a great deal of improvement, and this year hasn’t been terrible by any means.
However linebacker Jordan Evans went on IR this week with a season-ending injury, and with the dearth of passing targets the Lions possess, expect Hockenson to get double-digit targets. In short, if Pat Freiemuth can score on the defense with his limited looks, Hockenson will definitely punch one in with double-digit looks.
Prediction: 6 rec, 88 yards, 1 TD
Start ‘Em – Tee Higgins
This game has Tee Higgins written all over it, right? Well, some experts don’t necessarily believe so, as his ECR (expert consensus ranking) this week is outside of the top 30 at receiver. Are you telling me there are 30 better options at the position? Doubt it.
Yes, Higgins has had a somewhat slow start to the season. Through five weeks, the former second-round pick has logged only 15 catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Now of course he missed some time, so take those stats for what you will, but he has also clearly been the 2b to Tyler Boyd’s 2a.
Expect the Lions to roll more coverage Ja’Marr Chase’s way, and for Boyd to patrol the underneath opening up the intermediate area for Higgins. This should result in ample opportunity for Higgins to cash in and post not one, but two touchdowns.
I’m not calling for a huge catch or yardage game, but I definitely think Higgins finds the end zone twice. Two Tee D’s.
Prediction: 5 rec, 66 yards, 2 TD
Sit ‘Em – Jared Goff
So let’s be real here, shall we? Yes, I am suggesting sitting Jared Goff. However, if you are rolling with the former Ram this weekend, you are either desperate, in a ridiculously big league, or a direct relative. Either way, the smart call is to bench Goff for Week 6.
It’s not as if Goff has been bad this year.
Quite the contrary, despite the Lions record, Goff has posted respectable numbers. He has multiple touchdowns in three of the five games the Lions have played and has produced decent yardage numbers.
The problem here is Goff’s options. As noted earlier, Hockenson is his only real receiving threat on the outside. D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams offer decent options out of the backfield, but the dink and dunk game isn’t going to win any fantasy player a week.
If you play in a two-quarterback format, or perhaps need a cheap DFS option, as Goff is going around the 5k mark, then go wild. He probably won’t kill you, probably won’t thrill you either. However in seasonal redraft, find a better option, unless you are Jared Goff’s cousin. Then by all means start him.
Prediction: 22-30, 215, 1 TD, 2 INT
Sit ‘Em – All Detroit Receivers
Again this should be an easy call. However, sometimes fantasy owners like to outsmart themselves! Don’t be smarter than yourself! Does that make sense? No? Neither does starting Khalif Raymond, Amon-Ra St. Brown, KhaDarel Hodge, or anyone else wearing silver and blue this Sunday.
The temptation might be to look at what Davante Adams did against the Bengal secondary and think “Yeah, Ima get me some of that”. Problem is, you could get all the Lions receivers wet, smash them together, and you still don’t have a Davante Adams.
Looking at the Bengal secondary, the opportunity could be there for the Lions to have a productive receiver. Have I mentioned that Trae Waynes is out? Again? I’ll give you a minute to let the shock wear off.
Okay.
Eli Apple has been barely serviceable in Waynes’ stead, however, don’t expect Lions coach Dan Campbell to do any more than run and dink and dunk. That’s just who he is as a coach, and who they are as a team. Pass on the Lions pass catchers in all fantasy formats.
Sit ‘Em – Joe Mixon
My temptation here was to go another direction, but it would be remiss of me not to mention Joe Mixon as a sit candidate.
Considering Mixon likely has decent draft capital attached to him in many leagues, if you HAVE to start him that’s fine. I wouldn’t be shocked if he turned in a performance similar to the Green Bay game. 10-12 touches and maybe a short touchdown isn’t the worst Sunday, but if you have a backup, by all means, consider putting Mixon on the bench for the week.
Mixon didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday, and Samaje Perine is currently on the Covid list. This could open the door for Captain America, AKA Michigan rookie Chris Evans. Or Perine could get cleared. Or Mixon could get 20 touches Sunday.
The point being, this backfield is too uncertain to definitively say Mixon is a START, thus the wise move is just to move on and hope next week brings some clarity to the situation. As always, however, pay close attention to Sunday morning.
If Perine is inactive and Mixon is getting good reports from the beat reporters, then feel good about sliding him in as a last-minute start. My feeling is either boom or bust, leaning slightly to bust. Be prepared to be let down if you have to start him.
Prediction: 12 carries, 44 yards
There you go! Thirty-two years experience and a lot of guesswork helping you to identify who to start, and who to sit in Sunday’s titanic matchup with the Detroit Lions. Enjoy the game and above all fantasy outcomes, let’s hope for a win.