Fantasy football owners seem to get smarter every year. The leagues seem to get deeper. The competition seems to get better. That's partially because of the sheer amount of information available to fantasy geeks willing to put the time in. But it's not always easy to find sound fantasy advice on players filling out the back ends of fantasy depth charts.
That's where we'll try to help fill in the gaps. Every week, we'll look at the Patriots matchup and try to help you decide which players to start and which to sit -- or which to invest in if you're playing in a daily format. You know you're playing Tom Brady every week. You know you're playing Rob Gronkowski. But this is where we'll delve a little deeper with the information we've gleaned by being on the beat. Hopefully someone somewhere finds it helpful.
START
Golden Tate, WR, Lions: This is a no-brainer. The way Bill Belichick spoke about Tate on Wednesday won't do anything to quiet those in New England clamoring for them to make a trade for the guy. "Golden’s excellent with the ball in his hands. He’s good without the ball in his hands, too. He gets open a lot, runs very good routes, he’s a hard guy to cover, but then once he touches the ball, he’s strong, he runs through contact, he’s fast, he’s quick, he changes directions well and he has good vision, so he sees openings and space in the field from his punt return background, kick return background and so forth. When he gets the ball, he can get into those spaces, and he runs through tackles." Tate would be a borderline No. 1 for me this week, assuming the Lions are going to be chucking.
Chris Hogan, WR, Patriots: We had Hogan in this category last week, and if you started him, you ended up happy. He should be back in your lineup again this week, especially since the Lions may be without their No. 1 corner Darius Slay, who's dealing with a concussion. Hogan's OK as a No. 2 this week, in my book.
Kenny Golladay/Marvin Jones, WR, Lions: This is a tough one. To me, Golladay has been better than Jones through two weeks. I'd play him almost regardless of the matchup. I wouldn't feel great about Jones with Stephon Gilmore (New England's best defensive back through two weeks) on him, and we'll update this piece later in the week as we glean more about the specific matchups of the week. But for now, both Golladay and Jones have been productive enough to warrant starts this week as No. 3 WR/FLEX options, in my opinion.
Phillip Dorsett, WR, Patriots: I'd have Dorsett more in the FLEX category, but I'm OK with him in my lineup this week as well. He had a down day against Jacksonville . . . but it's Jacksonville. I still believe -- at least until Julian Edelman gets back -- Dorsett is more the receiver we saw against the Texans in Week 1. Brady trusts him, and there should be room to throw. The Lions are No. 30 in the league in quarterback rating allowed (117.7), and they're 28th in yards per attempt allowed (8.6). It's going to be a big day for Brady and his pass-catchers, and Dorsett should see enough of that action to make him playable.
Kerryon Johnson/Theo Riddick, RB, Lions: Much like Golladay and Jones, I think you can rate these players similarly this week, and I think both are startable as FLEX options. Johnson saw his play-time percentage more than double last week, he saw six targets in the passing game, and he averaged over five yards per carry. He should only be busier as time wears on. Plus, the Patriots have been permissive in the running game. They're 25th in the league, allowing 4.7 yards per carry. Then there's Riddick, who is more receiver than true back, but will see a good deal of looks if the Lions are down and throwing. Both T.J. Yeldon and Corey Grant were viable flex options last week in Jacksonville. I think the same could be the case for these two Lions.
SIT
Josh Gordon, WR, Patriots: Man, wouldn't it be fun to roll with this guy in your lineup and scream at Tom Brady through your TV screen to chuck it deep to Gordon once a series? I know. But I don't think you can count on fantasy production right away here, even if I do think there's a chance he's in uniform this week to run slants and go routes. Let's wait and see here.
Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions: I think Stafford will have plenty of attempts. And usually volume leads to fantasy production. But this week I think it's too easy to find 12 better fantasy quarterbacks. I'd play Jimmy Garoppolo (at Kansas City), Matt Ryan (vs. New Orleans) and Carson Wentz (vs. Indy) over Stafford.
James White, RB, Patriots: White has been fantasy gold these first couple of weeks in PPR formats. He has 11 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown, and he cost you a late-round pick at the most. He's relatively cheap every week in daily formats. But I'd be hesitant to play him here. I think the Patriots will be playing with a lead, and I think he may not see quite as many looks as Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead work their way back from injuries . . .
Rex Burkhead/Sony Michel, RB, Patriots: . . . So why then am I also not ready to play Burkhead or Michel? Too much uncertainty. Michel only played 13 snaps last week, but he had 10 carries and he saw two targets. That's great. He ran hard and looked healthy to me. Even better. But how does his workload change this week? I'd expect it to go up. But I'd expect Burkhead's snaps to increase as well as he's further removed from his concussion. I think there's enough talent in this backfield that the Patriots will want to get all three of their top choices touches, but it'll make them all fantasy enigmas. Classic Patriots backfield. Hate to see it. Things could work out to where each member of this trio have more defined roles moving forward, but I'd keep all three on my bench unless I'm desperate. White would be my best bet as a FLEX if you're in a bind.
New England Patriots
LeGarrette Blount, RB, Lions: Blount looked better last week than he did in an alarming Week 1, forcing three missed tackles. But there's just not much volume here. He's played 30 snaps in two games. He hurt the Patriots in the Super Bowl in February, he's a goal-line option, and Matt Patricia loves him -- all encouraging if you have him in fantasy. But I still wouldn't play him this week. He makes the Lions predictable, and the Patriots should feast on that predictability. I also think Johnson is in line for more work, and I think because the Lions will be behind, Blount may find himself on the sidelines.