Getty Gallery: 3/7
Start: WR Kenny Golladay vs. Cowboys
Sit: WR Marquise Goodwin vs. Chargers
Golladay has had six or more receptions in all three games this season. This puts him in the WR2/WR3 range in PPR leagues. Golladay scored a touchdown in the last two games, while accumulating fantasy points with yardage in Week 1 with 114 yards.
According to Rotoworld, Galladay has been getting the start over Golden Tate when the Lions are in two-receiver sets. Nothing about the Cowboys defense should scare you from putting the Lions receiver in your lineup this week.
After a slow start, it appears as though the Lions offense is hitting its stride. Rookie running back Kerryon Johnson noted after the win over the Patriots that we are starting to see a different offense.
“I think we saw a different offense today and we won,” Johnson told The Detroit News. “I think it helped us a lot, opened a lot of our passes, it made life a lot easier for Stafford and our receivers and the O-line did a fantastic job. It takes a lot to get us there, it takes a lot to do that and pass-block and they did an awesome job.”
With the way the Lions offense looked against the Patriots, Golladay could emerge as a must-start going forward. Pro Football Talk's Darin Gantt explained why a balanced attack could help the passing game (and fantasy owners).
"Things are a little more balanced offensively for the Lions (33 runs, 36 pass attempts), and that actually seemed to make their quarterback more effective," Gantt noted. "There was no better example of that than in the third quarter, when they answered a Patriots touchdown drive with one of their own."
The 49ers Wide Receivers Take a Fantasy Hit Without Jimmy Garoppolo
The recommendation to sit Goodwin has more to do with the uncertainty surrounding the 49ers offense. All signs point to Jimmy Garoppolo missing the rest of the season which means all the 49ers receivers are "sits", at least in the short-term. With C.J. Bethard under center, it is hard to know what to expect going forward.
“All indications are that it’s torn,” 49ers GM John Lynch said per The Mercury News. “Our [medical] guys say they’ve been wrong before and so they need to do the MRI, obviously.”
Thanks to Kyle Shannahan's offensive mind, the 49ers players could have fantasy value down the road. As it stands now, things could worse before they get better in San Francisco.
Goodwin just returned from injury and scored a touchdown so it is admittedly a bit of an odd time to keep him on your bench. Even though he scored, Goodwin had just three receptions in the contest. It is hard to know how many targets he is going to get moving forward without Garoppolo.
If you have Goodwin on your roster, you're hoping he will emerge as the Niners WR1 with Bethard at quarterback. One name to keep an eye on is Pierre Garcon, who had a lot of receptions last year with Bethard at quarterback.