Jared Goff is set to return in Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks, but will he be usable in fantasy football championship week?
With Jared Goff going on the COVID-19 list last week, so went my machinations of pointing to a Detroit Lions fantasy football super-stack in a widely favorable matchup against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown continued his fantastic run (nine catches for 91 yards and a touchdown) though, and the rookie out of USC is a top-five fantasy receiver over the last four weeks.
Over his last four games (Week 12-15), Goff was a top-five rated passer in the NFL with multiple passing touchdowns in three of the four. He was also a top-10 fantasy quarterback over that stretch, albeit helped by playing four games without a bye, etc., and he would have been higher if not for a finish as QB22 in Week 14.
Is Jared Goff a viable fantasy quarterback in Week 17?
Goff was taken off the COVID list on Monday, so he’s set to return Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks on the road. The Seahawks are reeling at 5-10, but how do they look as a matchup for Goff?
Seattle is 31st in the league against the pass (270.9 yards allowed per game). But they’ve been less generous) in terms of passing touchdowns allowed, ranking in the bottom half of the league (as in stingiest) with 21 scores allowed through the air. So helped by that, they are in the top half of the league in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks this season (Yahoo! scoring).
The Seahawks have allowed at least 250 passing yards or multiple passing touchdowns to a quarterback in six of their last seven games. The exception was Taylor Heinicke in Week 12, and includes Colt McCoy filling in for Kyler Murray in Week 11 (328 yards, two touchdowns). In 15 games this season, 11 quarterbacks have done one or both of the aforementioned things against Seattle.
In nine career regular season games against the Seahawks, Goff has averaged 267 passing yards per game with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has thrown for at least 288 yards against them six times in those nine contests.
In fantasy terms, Goff is of course widely available (7 percent owned on Yahoo!; 3.5 percent owned on ESPN). I like him as a startable QB2 in two-quarterback leagues for Week 17, even with wide receiver Josh Reynolds now on the COVID-19 list, and among cheap quarterback DFS plays there’s some appeal too.