New York Giants vs Detroit Lions
The Giants and Lions came into this game sitting on two wins each and looking to snap three-game losing streaks. Detroit looked dominant early, playing downhill defensively and making Daniel Jones extremely uncomfortable. Jones and the Giants settled down and showed resilience keeping the game primarily a one-score affair. Matthew Stafford and the Lions suffered through their worst rushing performance of the season but Stafford was very efficient throwing the ball. The time of possession was nearly evenly split, with New York holding a small edge 30:47 to 29:13. Detroit eventually secured the victory 31-26.
New York Giants
Quarterbacks
- Daniel Jones: 28/41, 322 yards, 4 TDs, 3 sacks, 32 yards lost, 1 fumble lost | 4 carries, 13 yards
Daniel Jones struggled early as the Lions sold out on defense against the run forcing Jones to beat them through the air. Jones put his team in an early 14-point hole when he attempted to throw a pass to Saquon Barkley to avoid a sack. Unfortunately for Jones, the attempt went backward and LB Devon Kennard scooped up the loose ball and scored.
Jones quickly settled down, however, and completed nine passes in a row to loosen up the Detroit defense and opened up the offense. Jones attacked all levels of the defense and showed good placement on each of his TD tosses. On the first, Jones intentionally threw the pass short and fellow rookie Darius Slayton made the adjustment and then muscled his way into the end zone. On the second TD pass, Jones threw the ball high and Slayton skied over the defender to make the TD grab. Jones then led Barkley perfectly out of the backfield after missing him on the same route on the play prior.
Jones still exhibits some rookie mistakes, but the Giants appear to be behind in a lot of games the rest of the season which should give him a decent floor. He’s not an every-week starter but is a viable BYE week filler or mid-QB2 in leagues that allow for two starting QBs.
Running Backs
- Saquon Barkley: 19 carries, 64 yards | 10 targets, 8 receptions, 79 yards, 1 TD
Saquon Barkley was mostly bottled up when running the ball, frequently having to make multiple defenders miss near the line of scrimmage. On the plus side for fantasy owners, Barkley set a season-high for carries and showed no ill effects from the ankle injury that sidelined him earlier in the season. Barkley was once again a frequent target in the passing game, seeing double-digit targets for the first time this season. Barkley’s TD came on a short reception after Jones missed him on the same route the play earlier. Barkley’s day could have been even better had the turf monster not tripped him up on his 38-yard reception early in the second half. Barkley had a lot of green between himself and the end zone before stumbling to the ground untouched. Barkley has returned to his set-and-forget RB1 status.
Wide Receiver / Tight Ends
- Golden Tate: 10 targets, 8 receptions, 85 yards
- Evan Engram: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 40 yards, 1 TD
- Darius Slayton: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 50 yards, 2 TDs
- Cody Latimer: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 28 yards
- Bennie Fowler: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 21 yards
Golden Tate shined in his first game in Ford Field since being traded away during the 2018 season. Tate was the most-targeted WR and showed off his open-field elusiveness on several occasions. Tate was unable to find the end zone but was Jones’ goto receiver when the team needed yards. Tate should settle in as a WR3 with WR2 upside for the remainder of the season.
Evan Engram salvaged his fantasy day with a TD in the third quarter but was mostly an afterthought despite garnering seven targets. Engram’s TD was the benefit of two mistakes by the Detroit defense by hitting Jones late while sliding after a run and then a defensive holding penalty on third down. Engram got some “help” from Cody Latimer on a route that could easily have been called offensive pass interference. Engram retains mid-TE1 value as a result of volume
Darius Slayton looked like he was going to be the #1 WR of the week as his first two receptions ended up in the end zone. On the first, Jones threw a pass behind the defender and Slayton adjusted his route to haul it in and then ran fought through the defender and into the end zone. Slayton’s second reception showed off his athleticism as Jones placed the ball well above the defender and Slayton elevated and plucked it out of the air, landing in the end zone. Unfortunately, Slayton was unable to add to those catches as he was shut out the rest of the game. Slayton did have a bad drop on the last play of the first half as he came open across the field and dropped a pass on the sideline that may have given the Giants an attempt at a long field goal before halftime. Slayton has been starting in place of the injured Sterling Shepard, so it remains to be seen what role Slayton will have when Shepard returns. As a starter, Slayton can’t be trusted as anything more than a WR5 with upside as evidenced by today’s game.
Cody Latimer and Bennie Fowler are tertiary components in the Giants passing game and will see their role diminished once Shepard returns. Neither carries enough fantasy value to warrant a conversation.
Detroit Lions
Quarterbacks
- Matthew Stafford: 25/32, 342 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 4 sacks, 26 yards lost | 2 carries, -3 yards
Matthew Stafford was very efficient in this game, completing a season-high percent of his passes and hitting tight windows with regularity when needed. Stafford’s INT was a terrible read as he tried to force a pass to Marvin Jones in double coverage and it was easily intercepted by CB Janoris Jenkins. With the (essentially) season-ending injury to Kerryon Johnson, it was expected the bulk of Detroit’s offensive production would come off the arm of Stafford. This proved to be true today as Stafford accounted for nearly 92% of the team’s yards. Stafford is no stranger to a heavy passing volume and his fantasy outlook for the rest of the season appears to be trending upwards if this game is an early indication of how Detroit will operate on offense sans Kerryon. As such, Stafford slots in as a low-end QB1 for fantasy owners.
Running Backs
- Ty Johnson: 7 carries, 25 yards | 4 targets, 1 reception, 13 yards
- J.D. McKissic: 1 carry, -1 yard | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 2 yards
- Tra Carson: 12 carries, 34 yards
- Paul Perkins: 3 carries, 4 yards
Ty Johnson was a hot free agent commodity heading into week 8 following the injury to Kerryon Johnson. Then Detroit lines up with Tra Carson at RB on their first offensive play of the game. To make matters worse for fantasy owners, J.D. McKissic and Paul Perkins also got work as the primary RB at times throughout the game. Also, recent news indicates Kenyan Drake will be held out of Miami’s Week 8 matchup and there is speculation he is going to be traded. Detroit is one of the teams linked to him.
It was hard to find any rhyme or reason to who would be on the field at RB on any given play, but Carson did get the first and last snaps of the game as Detroit worked the clock to preserve their lead. Carson looked good early, gaining 23 yards on his first three runs, but was pedestrian after the team’s first drive.
Ty Johnson looked more complete than Carson, seeing involvement in the passing game as well as the rushing game. Johnson has great speed, and it was on full display on a wheel route that Stafford just missed him on late in the first half that may have resulted in a TD.
McKissic got a few carries, but primarily is the team’s receiving back. McKissic doesn’t see enough volume, however, to hold any real fantasy relevance.
If you’re mining for fantasy production in Detroit’s backfield, good luck figuring out who to target. If Carson or Ty Johnson were guaranteed the majority of the production, maybe that player would warrant consideration as an RB4, but if things remain status quo following the trade deadline, I’d look elsewhere for fantasy help unless you’re incredibly desperate or just a glutton for punishment.
Wide Receivers / Tight Ends
- Kenny Golladay: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 123 yards, 2 TDs, 1 fumble lost
- Marvin Jones: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 22 yards
- T.J. Hockenson: 1 target, 1 reception, 21 yards
- Danny Amendola: 8 targets, 8 receptions, 95 yards
- Marvin Hall: 1 target, 1 reception, 49 yards, 1 TD
Early in the game, Danny Amendola was a target magnet for Stafford. Amendola was frequently covered by rookie nickel CB Grant Haley and the veteran got the better of that matchup every time. Amendola is what he is at this point in his career which is an excellent slot WR who is far more valuable in PPR leagues. Amendola worked the intermediate area of the field with precision and his targets might stabilize if the Lions continue with a heavier passing game. Amendola can be trusted as a WR4 with upside given the volume in this offense.
Kenny Golladay had a slow start to this game, not seeing his first target until inside the five-minute mark of the first half. Golladay owners were handsomely rewarded, however, as he found the end zone twice on the day. Golladay’s first TD was a combination of an excellent throw from Stafford and an even better catch and body control by Golladay. Golladay plucked the ball out of the air at the front pylon and managed to get both feet in just in front of the defender. On his second TD, Golladay got behind the defense on a flea-flicker for a walk-in TD as S Jabrill Peppers bit on the run fake and lost track of Golladay. Golladay did lose a fumble late as he was being spun to ground and Peppers knocked the ball free just before Golladay’s knee came down. It was a better defensive play than a mistake on Golladay’s part. Golladay is a high-end WR2 with WR1 upside.
Marvin Jones came back to earth today after his four-TD outburst in week seven. The commentators mentioned that Lions’ OC Darrell Bevell mentioned how the team needed to get Jones involved early or he sometimes gets lost as a part of the offense. It sounded to me like they were saying Jones has diva-like tendencies, but that may just be me reading more into it. Jones grades out as a WR4 with upside, but it’s hard to trust him on a week-to-week basis.
There are receivers whose primary responsibility is to run fast past all the defenders and catch the deep ball. For the Lions, that guy is Marvin Hall. Hall’s lone appearance on the stat sheet came courtesy of a long ball from Stafford as Hall raced past the defense out of the slot and caught an easy TD. Hall is a big-play threat but is way too inconsistent to be relied on for fantasy purposes.
T.J. Hockenson’s record-setting debut back in week one is looking more and more like the exception as opposed to the rule. Hockenson looks great with the ball in his hands and might grow into a fantasy starter at some point in his career. Unfortunately, he’s not at that point yet. Hockenson can’t be trusted as anything other than a low-end TE2 at this point.
–Bryan Sweet