The quandary of being a Jared Goff fantasy manager is over for 2024

Leaving aside the fact he threw five interceptions in Week 10 against the Houston Texans, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff had 30 pass attempts in the game. That doesn't sound like a lot, per se, but it's just the second time in nine games this season where he has reached 30 attempts. He has had 25 or fewer pass attempts six times in nine games.

Goff has needed remarkable efficiency to be productive, and even then he was just QB15 in fantasy football through Week 9.

We've spilled a lot virtual ink about the challenge it is to be a Goff fantasy manager. From here on out this season, the predicament is significantly more clear-cut than it usually is.

In Week 11 the Lions face the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks (Yahoo! scoring). Then in Week 12 they'll take on the Indianapolis Colts, who enter Week 11 allowing the ninth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks (Yahoo! scoring).

So if you have an injury or bye week issue in either of the next two weeks, Goff looks like a viable fill-in option. Just beware of the potential for very positive/run-heavy game scripts for Detroit's offense,

The difficulty of being a Jared Goff fantasy manager is over for 2024

After that, Goff gets these matchup, with ranking in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks entering Week 11 (Yahoo! scoring-32nd being the stingiest/toughest and 1st being the most generous/easiest).

Week 13: Chicago Bears (32nd)
Week 14: Green Bay Packers (25th)
Week 15: Buffalo Bills (27th)
Week 16: Chicago Bears (32nd)
Week 17: San Francisco 49ers (22nd)

The first three of those games are at home (indoors), which is the only saving grace for Goff.

With all of the above in mind, Goff made the list of five players to cut in fantasy football heading into Week 11 for Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke.

"Over the rest of the season, the Lions will either be in games where they are heavy favorites, face teams that are in the top 10 at preventing fantasy points to quarterbacks or both. Their only two opponents that aren’t in the top 10 are the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts over the next two weeks. Those are two teams with losing records and are in the top half of the league in terms of the rushing yards allowed per game. Their run-defense grades are average, so Detroit might stick with the run even if it could also take advantage of the opposing team's secondary.

"The following five games are against teams in the top 10 at preventing fantasy points to quarterbacks, giving the Lions clearly the worst schedule from Weeks 13-17. While Goff has generally played well this season, ignoring Sunday Night Football, there are probably a few weeks left where he should be a fantasy starter. This upcoming week against the Jacksonville Jaguars might be the only game where he’s a fantasy starter. Therefore, fantasy managers can start him this week and drop him next week. If he could start in any week, hold onto him, but in most non-superflex leagues, he will probably just be a bench player the rest of the year, so he can be cut for a different high-upside option."

Goff is of course rostered in a lot of fantasy leagues (87 percent-Yahoo!, 91.5 percent-NFL.com, with 53.9 percent on ESPN leagues as an outlier). But upside that hasn't really been there all season only exists for the next two weeks from here on out, and there is downside in both of those weeks.

So fantasy managers who aren't in a situation to start Goff in Week 11 or Week 12 can easily do what Jahnke suggested. Cut him this week, and do it without regret.