Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, November 24, 2024, 1:00 ET
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Network: FOX
Writer: Chris Helle (@ChrisHelleQBL on Twitter)
Detroit Lions
Quarterback
Jared Goff: Start, QB1
Jared Goff had over 400 passing yards and 4 TDs against the Jags last week… sheesh. For the third time this season, Dan Campbell has shown he’ll keep his foot on the gas pedal as long as he wants regardless of the scoreboard. Goff’s QBR is 2nd in the league (to only Lamar Jackson), 10th in passing yards, and 4th in passing TDs. The Colts’ defense has allowed the 4th highest completion percentage to opposing QBs, which is music to Goff owners’ ears because he has the 2nd highest completion rate (behind only Tua Tagovailoa).
Running Back
Jahmyr Gibbs: Start, RB1
David Montgomery: Start, RB2
These two backs have been showing time and again that fearing a split backfield doesn’t apply to them. They run behind a top-3 offensive line and the Lions are the highest-scoring offense in the NFL by a wide margin. The Colts run defense is statically the 5th hardest matchup by EPA/rush, but Breece Hall put up 80 yards and a TD against them last week despite the Jets’ offense ranking 3rd to last in EPA/rush. Both Lions RBs are weekly starts with confidence. Jahmyr Gibbs as an RB1 and David Montgomery as a high-end RB2 this week.
Wide Receiver
Amon-Ra St. Brown: Start, WR1
Jameson Williams: FLEX Option, WR3
Khalif Raymond: Sit
Amon-Ra St. Brown is the WR2 on the season after going nuclear last week — 11 receptions for 161 yards and 2 TDs. It’s extremely reassuring to have seen this amount of usage in a blowout win because two of his worst weeks were also in blowouts against Tennessee and Dallas. It’s not like you’d ever consider benching him, but this helps add some confidence that he should be involved regardless of the game script. This also applies to Jameson Williams, whose target share hasn’t been nearly as consistent as St. Brown’s but he only needs one big play to make his mark.
Tight End
Sam Laporta: Start, TE1
Currently the TE17 on the year, Sam Laporta has far from lived up to his ADP and expectations he set after his rookie campaign last year. We may have seen the start of a turning point in the season though — 6 targets in 2 of his last 3 games, where he hadn’t seen 6 targets in any game before that. He’s also scored a touchdown in 3 of the last 5 games since the bye. He didn’t play last week due to a shoulder injury, but was a full participant in practice Wednesday so he should be expected to play.
Indianapolis Colts
Quarterback
Anthony Richardson: Streaming Option, QB2
Talk about a rollercoaster of a season. From starting on a high in Week 1 to the lows of the early season, to getting benched, and now back up on a high after last week. Anthony Richardson’s physically talented enough to be a high-end QB in the NFL, but his inconsistent execution is what we get from a 22-year-old. This is one of the worst matchups for most QBs, but his ability to extend plays with his legs keeps him in the conversation for starting in your lineup. It’s a risky move given how strong Detriot’s defense is, but a mobile QB is what you should be looking for if you need to roll the dice. Richardson has run the ball 48 times across the 6 full games he played, but 2 finishes as the QB4 are offset by 4 finishes outside the top 20.
Running Back
Jonathon Taylor: Start, RB2
Tyler Goodson: Sit
Detroit’s defense has allowed the 4th fewest fantasy points to RBs, but they’re only 11th in allowed yards per rush and 14th fewest rushing TDs allowed. Even though he’s had two down weeks against good defenses, Jonathon Taylor is the bell cow in this backfield and runs behind one of the better offensive lines in the league. He should be in your lineup every week he’s healthy due to the talent and volume alone, but I can’t deny that this is gonna be a tough matchup. Richardson stole two potential TDs from him last week too.
Wide Receiver
Josh Downs: Start, WR2
Michael Pittman: FLEX Option, WR3
Alec Pierce: FLEX Option, WR4
Adonai Mitchell: Sit
Detroit’s secondary is far from a pass funnel and we can never know what we’ll get from Anthony Richardson, but the Colts will need to extend the field vertically to keep up with the Lions’ offense. Josh Downs has been a target vacuum and has taken over as the leading target ahead of Michael Pittman. Even though he was only targeted 5 times last week, he brought in all 5 including a touchdown. Pittman saw 8 targets last week — the most with Richardson at QB since Week 1 — but even with that volume, he’s still a risky play in this one with the QB and the matchup. Alec Pierce should really only be considered as a hail mary for your lineup because those are pretty much the only plays he’s targeted on.
Tight End
Mo Alie-Cox: Sit
Mo Alie-Cox has logged eight games with 1 or 0 targets. If he’s on your roster, please drop him to waivers.
If Sam Darnold is not a must sit then why is he labeled “Sit”?
Why not label him “QB2”?
We base our rankings on single-QB leagues since they’re the most common, so any QB outside of our top 12 would technically be labeled a “Sit.” We try to provide some insight in terms of if they’re a viable streamer or start in SF leagues as well, but that’s our general process for that position!