Coming off a nice game in Week 2, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff should not be overlooked as a fantasy waiver wire plug and play this week.
If unrealized fantasy points were a thing, Lions quarterback Jared Goff had plenty in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders. He certainly knows he left some production on the table. Still, 256 yards and four touchdowns landed him as QB8 for the week (Yahoo! scoring).
Goff has multiple passing touchdowns in both games this season. In Week 3 he gets the Minnesota Vikings, with a potentially thinned secondary (cornerback Andrew Booth-quad, missed Week 2; safety Harrison Smith-concussion in Week 2) in a game that as of Tuesday tied for the highest betting over-under on the Week 3 NFL slate on FanDuel Sportsbook (53.5).
In his second game against the Vikings last season, Goff threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns. He has better weapons around him now, and Minnesota’s secondary might be worse if Booth and/or Smith are out on a short week.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Jared Goff a sneaky add in Week 3
Goff is a viable streaming option for Week 3 against the Vikings in one-quarterback leagues. Then he gets the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4, which is a better matchup for a quarterback than the current two-game sample of the season reflects.
Week 5 against the New England Patriots is not a good matchup. After a Week 6 bye, Goff then gets the Dallas Cowboys (Week 7), the Miami Dolphins (Week 8) and the Green Bay Packers (Week 9). Those latter three games, assuming Dak Prescott is back for the Cowboys, stand to bring pass-heavy game scripts for Goff. Right now, the Lions’ defense is a work in progress and a talented offense will have to put up points.
For those who are looking to stream a quarterback in Week 3, in two-quarterback leagues obviously as much as one-quarterback leagues, Goff is among the best options. That will be the case again in Week 4 against Seattle. Looking further (maybe too far) out, there are some solid matchups on his schedule beyond the aforementioned.
If you’re carrying two quarterbacks in a single-quarterback league and are looking for a QB2 upgrade (perhaps you’re a Matt Ryan owner? maybe you’ve lost Trey Lance?), Goff should be on your radar even if he’s not going to be your Week 3 starter/streamer. Look at the bye week for your QB1, and see if the Lions’ signal caller matches up to it nicely.
Overall, Goff is a QB2 in fantasy. But he’s so easy, too easy really, to overlook as an asset and his situation is as good as it’s been since his best years with the Rams. For those anywhere in the market for a QB2 or a streamer over the next week or two, he’s worth a solid look in a less-than inspiring waiver wire week overall in fantasy. Beyond the next couple weeks, there’s potential for Goff to deliver fantasy production on a regular basis if or when he might be needed.
Jared Goff Yahoo! Ownership: 23%
Jared Goff ESPN Ownership: 6.9%
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