Thursday fantasy open thread: Which Lions-Vikings player will outperform their projections?

The Detroit Lions have exactly one weapon on offense, and now it looks like D’Andre Swift will be absent this weekend. Swift has been the lone bright spot, especially with T.J. Hockenson regressing, so the Lions might look even worse than usual while the dynamic running back misses time. That will surely make for great viewing.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings are in the Wild Card hunt, mostly thanks to the offense. Having elite options at both running back and wide receiver definitely helps, but time will tell if that is enough to get Minnesota into the playoffs. Facing the Lions again is beneficial, though, even if the first matchup went down to the wire. Reminder: the below scoring includes six-point touchdowns and 0.5 PPR.

Today’s Question of the Day is:

Which Lions-Vikings player will outperform their projections?

• Jamaal Williams (10.3 pts): 50 rush yd, 2.4 rec, 17 rec yd, 0.4 TD
• Josh Reynolds (5.4 pts): 2.3 rec, 30 rec yd, 0.2 TD
• Alexander Mattison (11.0 pts): 55 rush yd, 2.3 rec, 19 rec yd, 0.4 TD
• Justin Jefferson (16.0 pts): 5.9 rec, 94 rec yd, 0.6 TD

My answer: Even with Swift healthy, Williams has been involved in the offense, and this will be a chance for him to play a larger role. He has not really been a fantasy factor since early in the season, but it would not be unreasonable for him to finish as an RB2 this week. Reynolds is probably a boom-or-bust play, but it does seem like his rapport with Jared Goff is an advantage.

The Vikings are also likely to be without their best running back, but Mattison is more than capable of being the workhorse. The projections only expect a modest day, but there is a real RB1 ceiling for the backup this week. Dalvin Cook’s absence could lead to more pass attempts, but Jefferson is not taking anyone by surprise.

Your turn.