The fantasy football landscape shifts each week, bringing fresh opportunities and unexpected challenges that separate the prepared from the pretenders. Savvy managers know that last week’s performance tells only part of the story, and diving deeper into the underlying metrics reveals the accurate picture.
This week presents some intriguing decisions. Here’s insight about key Detroit Lions players heading into their matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles to help you craft a winning lineup.
Jared Goff, QB
Jared Goff has multiple passing scores in five of his past six games and is completing 74% of his passes … and the offense may have just leveled up?
Dan Campbell took over play-calling duties last week, and Goff’s aDOT was 4.9 yards (Weeks 1-9: 6.6). If this offense leans into their elite skill players at that sort of level, Goff’s precision could make this the high-flying unit that we saw lead the league in scoring a year ago.
He was QB5 last weekend, his first top 10 finish since Week 2. These pocket-locked QBs require a very specific game plan to be fantasy relevant, and the shift to Campbell could well be what unlocks Goff.
The Eagles’ defense showed well against Jordan Love last week, but this is a different beast. My only concern is if we get some cool temperatures with precipitation and wind, but if the forecast is clear, I’m starting Goff and not thinking twice.
David Montgomery, RB
No one skill has dramatically dipped from last season, but David Montgomery is losing on the fringes everywhere.
- 2024
- 14.7% above PPR expectations
- 0.80 points per rush
- 13.2 carries per game
- 41.5% snap share
- 85.4% rush gain rate
- 2025
- 6.1% above PPR expectations
- 0.73 points per rush
- 11.6 carries per game
- 41.5% snap share
- 84.6% rush gain rate
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The volume is trending down, but not enough on its own to sink him. Where Montgomery managers are feeling the squeeze is the 34.2% decline in red-zone touches per game, and with Jahmyr Gibbs running wild, there’s zero reason to think things will improve over time.
Dan Campbell took over the offensive play-calling last week, and while Montgomery got his work, Gibbs topped him in touches in each of the first three quarters before the game got out of hand.
This is a tough matchup, but it wouldn’t shock me if Detroit played a bit of a smash-mouth brand of ball against an Eagles team on a shorter week after playing on Monday night. I’ve got Montgomery ranked as a low-end RB2, ahead of both running backs for the Vikings, Giants, Seahawks, and Bears, to name a few.
The upside may not be there, but you’re getting double-digit touches in an explosive offense than at this point in the season; that’s the profile of a fantasy starter.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB
And this is exactly why we never panic about the elite of the elite after a single poor showing.
Over the course of a season that runs 4+ months, players are going to have ups and downs; it’s the nature of the game. You’re not drafting star players under the pretense that they will be perfect, but with the idea that, more often than not, they’re going to give you a leg up on the competition, and I’d say Jahmyr Gibbs checked that box over the weekend with his third top-3 finish at the position this season.
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He had his touchdown reception on the first drive, a design that had him running out of the backfield and demanding that the poor linebacker get help. The Commanders opted not to do that, and he scored without much issue.
The duality is back for Gibbs (3+ catches in three straight games after totaling five receptions in a three-game run), and with Dan Campbell assuming control of this offense, I think it sticks.
Detroit has had its bye, still has games against the Giants/Cowboys on the schedule, and plays their final fantasy game with weather concerns this week: could Gibbs be the highest-scoring flex player the rest of the way?
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR
Week 1 was the last time that Amon-Ra St. Brown didn’t catch 8+ passes or score a touchdown.
With Dan Campbell calling the plays, Detroit’s WR1 was in the slot for half of his routes, something that had happened just one time this season prior. That deserves watching, but we have plenty of proof that St. Brown can win at every level and that his connection with Jared Goff is among the best in the game.
In a tough matchup, he seems inevitable, so the fact that there are still games against the Giants and Cowboys on the schedule has a third straight 110+ catch, 10+ TD reception season well within reach.
How many players are you picking in August ahead of St. Brown in a redraft PPR format?
Jameson Williams, WR
The usage differences for Jameson Williams last week compared to the first nine games of the season were clear, and we can only assume they had to do with the change in play caller.
Results From Dan Campbell Calling Plays
- 10.3 aDOT
- Weeks 1-9: 15.0
- 3.72 yards per route
- Weeks 1-9: 1.43
- 21.9% target share
- Weeks 1-9: 15.6%
What got me excited on Sunday was the target-cluster situation we saw. Williams wasn’t overly involved early, but then it seemed like Campbell wanted to press a specific button, and it worked.
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Williams was targeted on five of Detroit’s next 11 offensive snaps, and if there is a package that Campbell feels he can weaponize like that, we could be looking at a “wheels up” situation for the rest of the way.
Speed is the only skill in the bag, but it’s certainly a dangerous one, and with this being the last Lion game with anything close to weather concerns, the best days certainly seem to be ahead of us.
Sam LaPorta, TE
With Dan Campbell taking over the play-calling responsibilities from John Morton last week, this offense looked free and loose again.
Of course, some of that could have been an awfully forgiving Commanders’ defense that may have finished the game with more punches thrown than defensive assignments fulfilled. Still, a wide-open passing attack is good news for those rostering Sam LaPorta.
He’s been a highly efficient player all season long (81.6% catch rate), and if this change means more volume through the air, their tight end could bump into the second tier at the position.
As it is, he’s in Tier 3, and that still means you play him weekly. I want to see some high-leverage usage (one end zone target this season), but that’s more of a cherry on top than a requirement given his stable target count.