Post-bye fantasy football outlook: Lions quarterback Jared Goff

Coming off his worst game of the season and then a bye week, can Lions quarterback Jared Goff be a usable fantasy signal caller moving forward?

Through Week 4, Jared Goff was QB5 in fantasy. Someone thought he’d keep it at least somewhat going in Week 5 against the New England Patriots, and boy were they wrong (19-for-35 for 229 yards and one interception, QB29 on the week).

Somewhere between that hot stretch over the first four weeks and the dud that was Week 5 feels like where Goff will land as a fantasy signal caller most weeks going forward.

But what should fantasy managers realistically expect from Goff over the rest of the season?

Post-bye fantasy football outlook: Lions quarterback Jared Goff

Based on Yahoo! scoring, here’s where Goff’s remaining opponents enter Week 7 in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks.

Week 7 at Cowboys: 7th-fewest
Week 8 vs. Dolphins: 6th-most
Week 9 vs. Packers: 2nd-fewest
Week 10 at Bears: 11th-fewest
Week 11 at Giants: 10th-fewest
Week 12 vs. Bills: 6th-fewest
Week 13 vs. Jaguars: 16th-fewest
Week 14 vs. Vikings: 12th-most
Week 15 at Jets: 12th-fewest
Week 16 at Panthers: 13th-fewest
Week 17 vs. Bears: 11th-fewest
Week 18 at Packers: 2nd-fewest

Game script and a poor Lions’ defense stands to push Goff toward more passing volume in games, starting with Week 7 against Dallas. Weather will surely be a factor for November games in Chicago and New York, as it will be for a return trip to New York in Week 15 and a trip to Green Bay in Week 18. Week 16 against a Panthers’ team that stands to be planning offseason vacations is a well-timed good-looking matchup.

From here on out, Goff is going to be who we though he was entering the season as a fantasy signal caller (cue Dennis Green’s all-time postgame rant).

Goff is a streaming or bye week fill-in option in one quarterback leagues if you need to go that way over the rest of the season, and a starting option in two-quarterback leagues–with fingers crossed he doesn’t deliver an ill-timed clunker if you have to use him.