Fantasy Football Week 5: Detroit Lions’ passing game should not be overlooked

One guy is a locked-in starter, but the Detroit Lions passing game as a whole is worth a long look in fantasy football this week.

At first glance, this side of T.J. Hockenson and DeAndre Swift, the Detroit Lions’ offense is not that  interesting in fantasy football. But ignoring players on teams that aren’t good is short-sighted, under the idea of “someone has to”…(catch passes, run the ball, throw the ball, etc.).

If you’re a Hockenson or Swift fantasy owner, you don’t need me to tell you to start them in Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings. A lingering groin issue for Swift is worth monitoring, but he is RB7 in full-point PPR through Week 4. Hockenson has gone back-to-back games without getting to 50 yards, but the Vikings are a deceivingly in the top half of the league against tight ends so far (Yahoo! 0.5-point PPR).

Fantasy Football: Don’t overlook the Lions passing game in Week 5

The appeal of Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff as a sleeper or streaming option this week is clear. But how does that transfer to the wide receivers in Week 5?

Kalif Raymond had three catches for 46 yards in Week 4, with two touchdowns. Following a six-catch, 68-yard effort in Week 3, he has 16 targets over the last two games. In three of four games this season, he has at least 50 yards or a touchdown.

Quintez Cephus had four catches (on five targets) for 83 yards against the Chicago Bears in Week 4. Throw out Week 3 against Baltimore (one catch on one target), and he has at least five targets with a touchdown and/or more than 60 yards in the other three games this season.

The Lions seemed to start to unveil Amon-Ra St. Brown in Week 4, with a season-high 72 percent snap share. The rookie out of USC tied for the team lead in targets with Hockenson (eight), finishing with six receptions for 70 yards.

The Vikings are in the bottom half of the league in fantasy points allowed to running backs and wide receivers. That easily puts running back Jamaal Williams, who has gone unmentioned to this point, on the radar as a flex option in 12 and 14-team leagues.

Minnesota’s secondary looks thin at cornerback this week. Cameron Dantzler and Harrison Hand are on the COVID list, while Breshaud Breeland is dealing with an illness that took him out of last week’s game. Even if all three are available Sunday, which feels unlikely, the Lions passing game has room to produce and the prospect of trailing in the game ups the volume potential.

Going back to the Lions’ wide receivers Raymond is the best option for Week 5, in consideration as a WR3 in leagues with 12 or more teams or a cheap DFS option. Cephus is a boom-or-bust option along a similar line but a notch below Raymond, while St. Brown can’t be trusted as anything more than a desperate dart throw in the deepest of fantasy leagues.