It’s Week 14, and that can only mean one thing. Another week of wondering when Detroit Lions’ WR Kenny Golladay will return from injury. Appearing in just four full games this season, Golladay has been one of the 2020 fantasy football season’s biggest disappointments. Can he come back just in time to save your fantasy season as the playoffs kickoff?
Updated December 11th: Golladay has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Packers, Tim Twentyman of the Lions’ official site reports.
Lions WR Kenny Golladay was absent from Wednesday’s practice
According to Justin Rogers of Detroit News, interim head coach Darrell Bevell said that WR Kenny Golladay did not practice with the team on Wednesday.
It’s unsure if Golladay suffered a setback or not as he was seen before Sunday’s game sprinting in the end zone during warmups.
At this point, it’s starting to feel very similar to the A.J. Green saga of 2019. Consistently on the radar of playing but never seeing the field for the remainder of the season. Even a “limited” practice on Thursday or Friday would be a welcome sign. However, until we see it happen, there is no point in banking on it.
If his hip injury keeps Kenny Golladay out yet again, this will be the sixth game in a row and eighth on the season. At this point, it is hard to know when he will suit up for the Lions again, if ever. Golladay is set to become a free agent after the 2020 NFL season.
It’s worth noting that RB D’Andre Swift was at practice on Wednesday. Bevell said the plan is to ease him back into action after missing two games with a concussion, followed by an unrelated illness.
2020 has been a lost season for Kenny Golladay due to his hip injury
Golladay missed the first two games of the season due to a hamstring injury he suffered in the condensed training camp. He made his season debut in Week 3 and then showed us why he was being selected inside the first three rounds of fantasy drafts.
Golladay has 20 catches on 32 targets for 338 yards and two touchdowns in five games. On a points per game basis, Golladay’s 13.2 is respectable and would be WR34. But after being selected as the WR8 (25th in ADP), his WR90 ranking on the season leaves him as one of the most disappointing picks of the 2020 fantasy season.
Golladay’s high-level of production is going to be highly desired in free agency
To say the 2020 season has been a disappointment for Kenny Golladay would be an understatement. Golladay came into the season with high expectations that he would continue his upward trajectory.
He was coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons after catching 65 of his 116 targets for 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019. All of those are impressive numbers, especially with Matthew Stafford missing eight games due to a back injury.
Since 2018, Golladay ranks second in yards per reception (minimum 100 catches) with 16.72, only behind Los Angeles Chargers WR Mike Williams with 17.48.
When Kenny Golladay is out due to an injury, Marvin Jones is a must-start for fantasy
Since Week 8, when Golladay was initially injured, Marvin Jones is the WR8 in PPR fantasy scoring. He has hauled in 32 of his 51 targets for 393 yards and five touchdowns. During this stretch, Jones has averaged 16.9 PPR points per game. He has seen a dozen targets in back-to-back games, leading him to a 24.2% target share during this five-game stretch.
In Week 13, he was a target monster. Jones caught 12 of his 16 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown. He has double-digit fantasy points in all but one game and has 12 or more in five of his last seven.
This week, the Lions get their second crack at the division-leading Green Bay Packers. Even with Golladay active, Jones found the end zone against Green Bay in Week 2.
There is a solid chance that the Lions will be playing from behind again in this game. If that happens, Jones will be the beneficiary of the majority of Matthew Stafford’s looks.
Yes, Green Bay is a solid defense, particularly against wide receivers. They give up the sixth-fewest points to the position at 34.25 PPR points per game. However, if they are all being funneled to one person, then it’s hard to look past the potential of Jones in Week 14.
He is a WR2 on his own, and if Kenny Golladay does have a miraculous injury recovery, he will be a mid-tier WR3.
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