While you probably weren't looking, Jared Goff finished as the QB7 in fantasy football last year. His home-road splits are well-known, and rarely defied, as is the fact he offers nothing as a runner if he doesn't vulture a touchdown or two.
But Goff has the best offensive line in the NFL protecting him, with good weapons and one of the best play callers in the league around him to foster his success. There are quarterbacks with better perceived fantasy upside who have far worse situations.
Fantasy owners know what they'll get with Goff, and the start/sit decisions with him are generally easy (start him at home/indoors, sit him outdoors).
It's also fair to say Goff will always be an underappreciated fantasy quarterback, for those who want to see the good anyway. And to the skeptical side, he was just QB13 in fantasy points per game among quarterbacks who made at least six starts last season.
Jared Goff makes appropriate list of fantasy quarterbacks
Earlier this summer, it was odd to see Goff on a list of quarterbacks considered values in a dynasty league context. Marcas Grant of NFL.com recently put him No. 9 on his list of top-10 quarterback values for this year in redraft leagues.
"Since the start of 2022, only four quarterbacks have a higher EPA (expected points added) and only Patrick Mahomes has more passing yards. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider Detroit has been in the bottom half of the NFL in pass play percentage over those two seasons."
"There's little reason to think this trend can't continue in 2024. Ben Johnson's offense remains intact with elite options at wide receiver and tight end. There are also a pair of upper-echelon running backs who can contribute in the passing game. The wild card is Jameson Williams....If Williams can be a consistent deep threat, Goff's big-play potential gets a boost, and the QB can more than pay off his middle-round ADP."
It's not a new idea that the emergence of Jameson Williams as a deep threat would unlock a different element for Goff and the Lions' offense.
According to Fantasy Pros, updated on Aug. 1, Goff's ADP (Average Draft Position) sits at QB15 and pick 105 overall. That's ninth-round in a 12-team league, between Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert (No. 7 and No. 2 on Grant's list, respectively).
Goff could finish a QB1 in fantasy for the third straight year this year, with or without a full-on emergence from Williams. With a QB2 ADP that isn't likely to change much, he is easy to tab as a draft value. Maybe Grant didn't rank him highly enough?