The Las Vegas Raiders‘ fantasy football preview walks you through what to think about Davante Adams, while the Detroit Lions‘ fantasy outlook takes a look at their backfield.
Las Vegas Raiders at Detroit Lions
- Spread: Lions -8
- Total: 46
- Raiders implied points: 19
- Lions implied points: 27
Quarterbacks
Jared Goff: You guys know the drill. Is Goff playing at home? If yes, play him. If not, consult advanced data before blindly benching him, but lower your expectations.
YES. This is a home game for Detroit after the beat down in Baltimore, a game in which Goff threw 53 passes without a score. I’m not counting on that to spill over to Week 8 – Goff is averaging a TD pass once every 13.7 attempts at home this season and was even better last year.
I have Goff ranked ahead of Trevor Lawrence, Week 7 superstar Kirk Cousins, and a rested Joe Burrow this week. He’s my QB7 and is worthy of your trust in all formats.
Running Backs
Josh Jacobs: Even with last week getting out of hand, he had a touchdown called back that would have made him a viable option for the week.
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Jacobs is an unquestioned bell cow in an offense that has some upside, a role that lands him inside my top 15 this week (and most).
David Montgomery: The Montgomery situation is a straightforward one: If he plays, you play him.
Initial reporting seemed to paint a pessimistic picture of his status in the short term. Be ready to pivot if the news changes, but benching Monty is the play as we sit here today.
Jahmyr Gibbs: Reports circulated last week that Dan Campbell wanted to rely heavily on his rookie back, and that was great to hear. Sadly, confidence from the coaching staff is not a category in which fantasy points are awarded. The Lions trailed for every one of their offensive snaps against the Ravens and never had a chance to get the ground game going.
That said, Gibbs did punch in a fourth-quarter touchdown and hauled in nine of 10 targets on his way to the best fantasy performance of his young career. The game may have been wonky, but a 65-7 snap edge over Craig Reynolds wasn’t a mistake.
We can speculate how involved Gibbs will/won’t be when David Montgomery returns, but at the very least, we know he is a bell cow when Detroit’s lead back is sidelined.
Craig Reynolds: Sometimes coach-speak is B.S., and other times it’s S.B.: Simply Beautiful. I mentioned Dan Campbell’s words last week about his projected backfield usage, and it came to light — he featured Gibbs, and that left nothing on the bone for Reynolds. Even with Montgomery sidelined, he touched the ball just four times (25 yards).
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Yes, this is a good matchup, and if Montgomery sits, I could see managers wanting to get cute. Don’t. You can do better at Flex than a distant secondary option (at best) in an offense that typically operates through the air at home. Reynolds can be left on waivers in favor of players with more immediate role upside.
Wide Receivers
Davante Adams: The “squeaky wheel gets the grease” saying refers to when an unhappy party is paid extra attention to quiet said part.
But what happens if the grade of oil isn’t enough to keep the specific wheel quiet? I’m not a car guy, but in theory, the wheel is still a problem, no?
All of that is to say that the Raiders entered last week’s loss in Chicago hellbent on getting their ace receiver on track (he saw the first four targets of the game during the scripted portion of the plan), and it really didn’t work. It took 12 targets to get Adams 57 yards, continuing a brutal three-week stretch that has seen him total just 131 yards and zero scores.
He has fallen down my ranks a touch, but he is still a WR1 for me. He ranks in the same range as Ja’Marr Chase in a brutal matchup (at SF) and ahead of a receiver having similar quality of target issues (Chris Olave).
Jakobi Meyers: Did you know that Meyers’ per-game production this season is greater than that of CeeDee Lamb last season (half-PPR)? Yes, he’s been that level of good — he, per the Week 8 Cheat Sheet, has a score or double-digit targets in five of his six games this season.
The efficiency dipped last week with Garoppolo sitting (it took 13 targets to get him seven catches), but a late touchdown saved his day, and all scores count the same in fantasy. As a Meyers manager, I like the reporting that Adams will not be dealt this season, as he demands a high level of defensive attention.
In a perfect world, I want Garoppolo under center because it takes him fewer targets to put up the same numbers. That said, it’s pretty clear that Josh McDaniels brought in Meyers with a usage plan, and that plan isn’t going to change.
This should be a scoring environment, and that puts Meyers into the WR2 conversation.
Amon-Ra St. Brown: With a touchdown or 100 yards in every game this season, St. Brown is nothing short of elite. He’s seen 53 targets over his past four games and is as reliable as any player in our game. Embrace the semi-discount you got on the Sun God this year; that’ll be as cheap as you gain access to his services for years to come.
Jameson Williams: Much like Marvin Mims Jr. in Denver, playing time is the issue. I have no problem chasing the ceiling performance from these all-or-nothing types (heck, I spent all summer putting air in the tires of Gabe Davis), but I need them to at least be on the field. Williams ranked fourth among Lions receivers in routes run last week, and that’s just not going to get it done.
I have him one spot ahead of former Lion DJ Chark and outside of my top 50 at the position. I’d rather take my chances on Rashid Shaheed if you’re looking for dart throws with top-30 upside.
Tight Ends
Michael Mayer: While the usage has been inching in the right direction, we may have gotten over our skis in elevating Mayer after his 75-yard effort against the Patriots in Week 6. Outside of that game, he has just 54 yards this season, and with below-average play under center, how confident are we that a third pass catcher in this offense can be sustained?
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That’s not to say that he’s off the streaming radar completely moving forward, but with no teams on a bye this week, Mayer is outside of my top 15 at the position.
Sam LaPorta: After the exciting start to his career, LaPorta has been held under 60 yards in four straight games and doesn’t have a 20-yard catch in consecutive contests after hauling in a 30+ yard pass in three straight.
It happens. We are talking about the tight end position. The rookie is seeing seven targets per game, and all Lions receive a nice little value bump when playing at home. LaPorta is pretty clearly a Tier 3 tight end for me (Kelce, Hockenson, and Andrews make up the top two tiers), and that means you start him weekly without a second thought.
Should You Start Jahmyr Gibbs or Breece Hall?
Gibbs’ production last week in the blowout loss was encouraging, and the rookie should use it as a building block, but I have Breece Hall ranked higher this week given his form (287 yards over his past two games with a rushing score in both contests) and importance to the structure of his offense.
Without Hall, the New York Jets are a sinking ship. Without Gibbs, the Lions still have the potential to move the ball. Give me Hall, though I do have both ranked as RB2s this week.
Should You Start Jared Goff or Trevor Lawrence?
Trevor Lawrence hasn’t finished a week better than QB10 since the season opener and has been held under 210 passing yards in three of his past four. The upside is in his profile, but Goff playing at home in an advantageous matchup is the percentage play.
Since the beginning of last season, one of every 14 Goff passes at home results in a score. His floor/ceiling combination this week is as favorable as you’re going to get this season — take advantage!
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