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We are at the point of the season where injury designations are really going to make fantasy decisions on Friday tough to call, but we will do our best with the information available to us at the time. It seems like there could even be some good news with players like Kenny Golladay looking to return to face the Panthers, but he may be hard to trust if he is not at 100 percent.
There are other Detroit Lions who should be looked at this week, though. Matthew Stafford (QB14) has received plenty of criticism this year, but he should be fantasy relevant this week. Meanwhile, D’Andre Swift (RB6) finally gets a top-10 ranking... but is now likely to be out with a concussion. Marvin Jones (WR35) might be a little Golladay-dependent, but at this point T.J. Hockenson (TE4) is an every-week option if healthy.
On the other side, it looks like Teddy Bridgewater (QB21) will not be starting. Either way, I would avoid any Carolina quarterback this week. Instead, focus on Mike Davis (RB10) who could be in line for a nice day with Christian McCaffrey out again. The receiving duo of Robby Anderson (WR18) and D.J. Moore (WR23) are both options as well, but stay away from the tight end position.
Today’s Question of the Day is:
Which Lions-Panthers players will boom and bust in fantasy this week?
My answer:
Maybe Stafford just needed half a season to get back into form. While his game against the Vikings was not great, he had top-6 QB finishes in Weeks 8 and 10 and could finally be getting hot. Everyone expected him to pick right back up from where he was in 2019, but that could have been overlooking the amount of time he missed. I can see another three touchdown game for him this week.
If Bridgewater does miss Sunday, it will be P.J. Walker, an XFL standout with no real NFL experience, at the helm for Carolina. While both Anderson and Moore are talented, I would consider both more of a Flex option against the Lions. One will likely have a serviceable day, it is hard to know who. There is just too much uncertainty to feel super confident in either at this time.