Lions @ Packers
Final Score: Lions 24 – Packers 14
Writer: Steven Pintado (@coachstevenp on Twitter)
In a messy rain game, the Detroit Lions handled the Green Bay Packers for most of this game. In their first outdoor game this season, the Lions relied on the running game and throwing the ball to Amon-Ra St. Brown. Outside of that, there wasn’t much to say about the Lions’ offense. They played excellent defense, which caused issues for the Packers’ offense all afternoon. For the Packers, it was clear that something was off with Jordan Love. They got the running game going early, but they abandoned it once they started to fall behind in this game. It wasn’t until late in the game that this offense began to get things together. This was an important divisional game, and the Lions secured the win.
Three Up
- Jayden Reed – After disappearing the last few weeks, Jayden Reed returned to fantasy glory with a big game against a tough division opponent.
- Chris Brooks – Third-string running back, Chris Brooks saw more playing time than usual and was involved early in the game. Could we see more from him in the future?
- Jameson Williams – While it was a rain game, the Lions pass catchers outside St. Brown have not done much without Jameson Williams on the field. We’ve seen that he is an essential piece on the offense.
Three Down
- Sam LaPorta – Sam LaPorta failed to make a massive impact on fantasy with Williams out on suspension. Could LaPorta all go back to a borderline starter again?
- Jordan Love – It’s clear that Love is still dealing with that groin injury, which could impact him moving forward in future games.
- Dontayvion Wicks – Dontayvion Wicks went 0/3 in today’s game and dropped two big targets, including an endzone target.
Detroit Lions
Quarterback
Jared Goff : 18/22, 145 passing yards, TD | 3 carries, -2 yards
Jared Goff had a pretty average fantasy day against the Packers. As you can see, Goff only threw the ball 22 times before the Lions got up early. Another factor was that it was raining during this game. The focus on the run game was important to their success in this game. Goff’s touchdown to St. Brown was a beautiful back-shoulder throw. There isn’t much to say about Goff in this matchup. He didn’t do much to hurt this offense, and they didn’t need him to throw the ball a ton. Goff should continue to be a borderline QB1 moving forward.
Running Back
David Montgomery: 17 carries, 73 yards rushing | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 23 yards receiving
David Montgomery would get the start in this matchup. He would play the whole first drive of the game. He ran very well, breaking tackles and pounding the ball in the middle of the field. Montgomery dominated the first half of this game over Jahmyr Gibbs with 11 carries, compared to two carries for Gibbs. He would get a break in the middle portion of the game but handled the workload on the game’s final drive with a few carries and key passes caught that would result in first downs. Montgomery should continue to be a solid RB2.
Jahmyr Gibbs : 11 carries, 65 yards rushing, TD | 2 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards
Jahmyr Gibbs would play in rotation with Montgomery for the first half of the game. Gibbs didn’t touch the field until the second quarter of this game. He didn’t touch the ball much, with only three touches in the first half. He made most of his damage in the third quarter and early fourth, eventually leading to a touchdown. He also ran well, making big runs and being explosive out of the backfield. There wasn’t much need for Gibbs to be a receiver this week, as the Lions were up for most of the game. Due to Montgomery’s play style, he would see more work in a poor field condition game. Gibbs remains an RB1 upside player moving forward.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 7 targets, 7 receptions, 56 yards receiving, TD
St. Brown would be brilliant in yet another game this season. While it wasn’t high yardage, he caught all seven targets. His touchdown was a beautiful pass from Goff on the back shoulder, but his toe touch secured him the touchdown. St. Brown was consistently open in space, and Goff threw his way often as he led with seven targets. He even showed off his yards-after-catch ability and contested-catch ability. St. Brown is a safe WR1 moving forward in fantasy.
Sam LaPorta : 3 targets, 2 receptions, 28 yards receiving
Unfortunately, LaPorta would only see three targets in this game due to the game script. A few times, Goff missed him being open in zone coverage, but he was okay. It was disappointing that LaPorta didn’t get more targets, even when they got closer to the red zone. The return of Williams and LaPorta’s Week 9 game doesn’t give me confidence in him moving forward.
Kalif Raymond: 1 target, 1 receptions, 12 yards receiving | 1 carry -12 yards
It’s a big step back for Kalif Raymond after two touchdowns last week. Due to the weather, the Lions made the choice to throw the ball less, which prevented Raymond from seeing his usual targets. His one carry was a receiver reverse that was interrupted by the defense and forced him to take a loss.
Tim Patrick: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 12 yards receiving
Tim Patrick had a few nice catches on underneath routes over the middle. He doesn’t have much fantasy value.
Allen Robinson: 1 target, 1 reception, 2 yards receiving
Allen Robinson plays as the WR5 and is likely not to make an impact on this team.
Brock Wright: 1 target, 1 reception, 1 yard receiving
Brock Wright had a short catch, but his role in the offense is more for his blocking ability.
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback
Jordan Love : 23/39, 273 yards passing, INT | 3 carries
Many fantasy managers were thrilled to get Love in Week 9, but the recent injury was bothering him in this game and impacted his mobility in the pocket. Love couldn’t move around well to try to avoid pressure or get to the outside and also threw the ball off his back foot on most of his throws in this game. He didn’t step into his throws very often. Love also had weather issues in this game, and it made a bigger impact on the Packers’ offense. Love had a few of his pass catchers drop balls, including a potential touchdown throw that one of his receivers dropped. If it weren’t for Reed, then Love’s passing game would not have been very good for fantasy. We may need to proceed with caution for a few weeks until Love has fully recovered from the groin injury.
Running Back
Josh Jacobs: 13 carries, 95 yards rushing | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards
Josh Jacobs is the tale of two sides of this game. In the first half, Jacobs looked fantastic on the field, breaking tackles and changing directions to find the opening lanes. He was breaking down this Lions’ run defense with big runs. Jacobs would have the second-longest play for the Packers with a 37-yard run in the first half. Even on his catches, Jacobs looked great in open space, with solid yards after the catch. In the second half, Jacobs had three touches, which was a mistake to take him out of the game plan just because the Packers were down. Jacobs had a strong start but was phased out of this game due to the game script.
Emanuel Wilson: 4 carries, 28 yards rushing, TD | 1 target, 1 receptions, 1 yard
Back-up running back Emanuel Wilson may be losing his role in the offense despite scoring close to ten fantasy points in this game. Wilson wasn’t used all that much in this game, with the majority of his touches coming on the Packers’ final drive where he was able to find the endzone. Wilson, for the time being, is just a handcuff back.
Chris Brooks: 2 carries, 13 yards rushing | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 28 yards
Third-string Chris Brooks was getting opportunities in this game. He would get a touch on the first drive of his game and be involved throughout the first half. He saw most of his touches in the first half and was in on the final two-minute drive. He looked decent as a pass catcher and gained yards after the catch. He didn’t get many touches in the second half, as Wilson saw more work. However, Brooks may be getting a shot to see more of a role in this Packers offense.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jayden Reed: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 113 yards receiving
Reed also had an amazing game against the Lions. He looked explosive and found the open space in the defense to make big plays downfield. He would certainly beat his defender, but the opportunity was limited for a player whose team was down. Reed would have three of the top four longest plays in this game and was the lone bright spot for this pass-catching group on offense. He should hopefully remain as an upside WR1 after dealing with stuff the last few weeks.
Christian Watson: 7 targets, 3 receptions, 37 yards receiving
Christian Watson would have some bad luck in this game. He could have had a better game if Love wasn’t off on his throws toward him. Two times, Love overthrew Watson when he had his defender behind him and could easily make a contested catch. He provided production on some underneath routes where he could try to turn upfield. Watson continues to be a boom/bust WR4 option.
Tucker Kraft: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 34 yards receiving | 1 carry, 2 yards
Tucker Kraft was limited in his game with his catches. Most of his catches were short throws where the defender would be there to stop him from making plays after the attack. He had a big two-yard run that would help get the Packers a first down in the first quarter, but he also had a big drop that could have secured him more yardage. Kraft will have games like this where the crowded receiver group is the focal point. I was surprised he didn’t do better with this being a rain game and in a negative game script.
Romeo Doubs: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 28 yards receiving
Romeo Doubs was quiet in this game after doing well in the month of October. He had some solid catches, but everyone was short due to the rain in this game and it was clear that this was not Doubs’ fault at all in this game. He remains a high WR4 who has some upside if Love can get healthy.
Bo Melton: 2 targets, 1 reception 19 yards receiving
Bo Melton is the team’s WR5. His one catch was a nice catch that gained some yardage. He doesn’t have a big impact until one or two receivers get hurt.
Dontayvion Wicks: 3 targets
This was a bad day for Wicks, as he dropped two easy catches in this game. One of these catches was a wide-open touchdown that could have changed the fantasy landscape of his game. Wicks had a nice over-the-shoulder catch but failed to stay in balance. It wasn’t his best day, but the rain didn’t help. He should remain a boom-or-bust WR4.