Can Jared Goff support the Detroit Lions’ fantasy weapons this year?

Jared Goff fantasy impact: 2021 and 2022

Back to Goff’s aforementioned 2021 season. While he and the offense as a whole struggled, there still were still some useful fantasy assets. D’Andre Swift was the RB7 through the first 11 weeks of the season before injuries struck him down, and he still finished as the RB19. Amon-Ra St. Brown had his well-documented breakout to finish the season as the WR21 on the year. And T.J. Hockenson finished as the TE15 despite missing the final five games–he was a top-10 tight end by fantasy points per game.

It’s safe to pencil in the big three of Swift, St. Brown, and Hockenson for fantasy success this year. DJ Chark and Jameson Williams may not be able to be consistent enough to stay relevant most weeks, simply because their role in the offense remains unclear. Chark looks to be the better fantasy asset early in the season, while Williams has a chance to emerge late once he’s healthy.

In a vacuum, looking at Goff’s resume as an NFL starter should provide a sense of relief for fantasy managers heading into 2022 draft season. Simply put, though it’s easy to assume it, he has not crushed the fantasy value of the best players around him. He has had multiple top-36 fantasy wide receivers in four of his five seasons as a full-time starter, and he nearly had three once. If one of Higbee and Everett had been the clear No. 1 tight end for the Rams, three top 10-12 finishes there look possible.

Goff is only a QB2 or streaming option on his own in fantasy this year. But in an offensive structure he should be more comfortable in, the Lions’ most prominent offensive players (and maybe even some fringier guys at times) will be fantasy assets along the expected lines as long as they’re healthy.

If Swift, St. Brown and Hockenson fall more than they should in your drafts based on cringes about Goff, embrace the value you’ll get.