We know the numbers regarding Jared Goff's home-road splits. That has carried into this season for four games, as he has averaged over 22 fantasy points per game at home and just over 13 fantasy points per game on the road.
Week 5 brings a home game against the Carolina Panthers for Lions. They are either 9.5 or 10-point favorites depending on the sports book you're looking at (odds subject to change), so they should have little trouble with the 0-4 Panthers.
With how generous they have been to the ground game (27th-ranked run defense, fourth-most fantasy points allowed to running backs-Yahoo! 0.5-point PPR), the inverse is true for Carolina against the passing game.
The Panthers are allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season (Yahoo! scoring). One quarterback has had multiple touchdown passes against them, and one has topped 230 passing yards-and it was not the same opposing signal caller.
Fantasy Football: Jared Goff is absolute bench material in Week 5 vs. Panthers
Rooted in how opponents have run so well on them, the Panthers have tied for the third-fewest pass attempts against them through four weeks (110; 27.5 per game). If the Lions control Sunday's game like they are expected to, Goff won't bump that average up very much--sheerly because he won't have to.
The case for starting Goff in fantasy this week is rooted in playing a home, Jameson Williams likely on the field in some capacity and possibly a bye week consideration for owners who paired him with Justin Herbert, Geno Smith or Deshaun Watson in a draft.
In a certain light Goff has a solid enough floor, say 10-15 fantasy points, to be startable in Week 5. But the upside is just not there, with the strong likelihood of low pass volume, And Lions' wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to an abdomen injury.
In one-quarterback leagues for sure, and maybe even a good portion of two-quarterback leagues, Goff should be benched in fantasy this week without another thought.