Good or bad, fantasy football managers know what they're getting when they draft Jared Goff. This year, a schedule heavy on indoor games through Week 15 added to his potential appeal. But it's inevitable there will be weeks when has a big game sitting on a lot of fantasy benches. And weeks where someone recommends benching him, with good reasoning that wasn't solely theirs, and he goes off. Some may just choose to avoid the headache on draft day.
Through Week 5, Goff is QB17 in fantasy points per game. He has reached 16 fantasy points once (Yahoo! scoring), in Week 4 when he had a receiving touchdown to go with 292 passing yards and two touchdowns. He has posted less than 12.5 fantasy points twice (Week 1 and Week 2).
The Lions will face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6. It's expected to be a high-scoring game, so it'd be easy to just say, within reason, "start all your Lions and Cowboys" in fantasy this week.
Lack of Week 6 consensus reflects fantasy challenge with Jared Goff
"Start-Sit" pieces for Week 6 are now out. So let's take a look at some of the sentiment in regard to Goff.
Michael F. Florio, NFL.com:
"Dallas has been stingy against the pass so far this season. The only QB to top 250 passing yards against the Cowboys this season was Daniel Jones in Week 4, while Derek Carr and Justin Fields are the only players with multiple passing TDs against them. They have allowed just six passing TDs in five games. They have struggled against the run, though. We know the Lions have one of the best rushing attacks in the league. Plus, it's not like Goff has been regularly lighting up the scoreboard this year. He had one monster game where he caught a touchdown, but he was held under 15 fantasy points in each of his other three games. This was a harder week to find QB sits and Goff is certainly not a must-sit. But I am playing Daniels, Love and Prescott over him in the leagues where I have the Detroit QB."
Anyone who has Jayden Daniels, Jordan Love or Dak Prescott is starting them over Goff this week. So Florio's overall "sit' rationale stands.
Jamey Eisenberg, CBS Sports:
"Goff is coming off his best game of the season in Week 4 against Seattle with 31.2 Fantasy points when he went 18-of-18 passing for 292 yards and two touchdowns, and he also caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Amon-Ra St. Brown. Hopefully, Goff will stay hot after Detroit's bye in Week 5, and this is a good matchup against Dallas. Three of the past four quarterbacks against the Cowboys have scored at least 20 Fantasy points, and Goff should be used as a low-end No. 1 quarterback in Week 6."
Eisenberg has Goff as a sleeper start. Three of the last four quarterbacks to face the Cowboys have indeed topped 20 fantasy points. But all three (Derek Carr, Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields) added to their haul with something on the ground, even if it was one-yard touchdown in Carr's case. Vulturing a touchdown in that way is in play for Goff, but in no way should fantasy managers expect it.
Mike Moraitis, Sporting News:
Goff appears to have found his stride after three lackluster games to start the year. Now, he's drawing a matchup against a Cowboys defense ceding the 11th-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
"Dallas is also without DeMarcus Lawrence, who is on injured reserve, and Micah Parsons might not play, either. Goff should have plenty of time to pick apart the Cowboys' secondary.
"The biggest concern for Goff is the Lions leaning on the run more this week due to the struggles the Cowboys' defense has seen in that area this season, but we still like him as a high-end QB2, at worst, in Week 6."
"Verdict: Start 'Em"
The injury issues Dallas has are notable, but they are also expected to get cornerback DaRon Bland back this week. No offense to Moraitis, but a recommendation to start a quarterback with "we still like him as a high-end QB2" feels contradictory. If Goff's a high-end QB2, that means he's absolute bench material outside of superflex leagues or a bye week/injury issue in a single-quarterback league,
In these three samples, we have a sit, a sleeper start tabbing Goff as a low-end QB1 and a "start 'em" tabbing Goff as a high-end QB2 for Week 6. Such is life as a Goff fantasy manager, with no real consensus to lean on to help make the decision to start him or not this week. If it means anything, here's our recommendation:
Sit him, unless you have a bye week or injury issue.
