Detroit Lions - Fantasy News

Steelers vs. Lions Start 'Em / Sit 'Em

by Adam Markowitz

10/25/17

NFL

Detroit Lions

Eric Ebron

Outside of Thanksgiving Day matchups, there aren't many games that Ford Field has hosted in its existence that have captivated the NFL on a national level. In Week 8, though, the Detroit Lions are set to play one of their more meaningful home games in recent memory against the 5-2 Pittsburgh Steelers.

With the Green Bay Packers clearly struggling without Aaron Rodgers and the Minnesota Vikings still seemingly destined to fall apart at some point with Case Keenum under center, opportunity is knocking for the Lions to win their first division title since 1993. Taking care of business in a game like this at home would go a long way toward reaching that goal, and it's going to take a huge game for fantasy football players at Dober Games for Detroit to get there.

Pittsburgh Steelers Week 8 Projected Fantasy Points
Le'Veon Bell: 17.0 PFP
Antonio Brown: 16.0 PFP
Ben Roethlisberger: 15.5 PFP
Chris Boswell: 9.0 PFP
JuJu Smith-Schuster: 7.5 PFP
Martavis Bryant: 7.0 PFP
Jesse James: 5.5 PFP

Detroit Lions Week 8 Projected Fantasy Points
Matthew Stafford: 15.0 PFP
Ameer Abdullah: 9.0 PFP
Marvin Jones: 9.0 PFP
Matt Prater: 9.0 PFP
Golden Tate: 7.5 PFP
Theo Riddick: 7.0 PFP
Kenny Golladay: 7.0 PFP
Eric Ebron: 5.0 PFP

Start 'Em: Martavis Bryant (7.0 PFP)

Bryant is a curious creature right now. He clearly wants out of Pittsburgh, but the Steelers don't seem to be budging.

Though Bryant has clearly dipped to fourth fiddle on the team behind Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown and rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster, we can't help but wonder if Ben Roethlisberger is going to try to placate his other uber-talented receiver on the outside.

With Smith-Schuster currently in concussion protocol, it's anyone's guess whether he will be cleared for Sunday night or not. If not, Bryant could step into a starring role along with Eli Rogers opposite of Brown.

Sit 'Em: Ben Roethlisberger (15.5 PFP)

We're just not buying Big Ben in general. Though he threw two touchdowns against Cincinnati last week to beat his PFP, Roethlisberger still only tallied 16.66 Dober Fantasy Points. He has a total of five touchdown passes against seven interceptions in his last six games, and he has thrown for more than 252 yards just once in that stretch.

Even at 300 yards and a touchdown, Roethlisberger would have to play turnover-free to beat a PFP like this one. Assume he would need to toss two touchdowns, and we're not banking on him to do that with regularity at this point in his career.

Start 'Em: Kenny Golladay (7.0 PFP)

Golladay is more of a hunch play than anything else. Golden Tate is almost certainly going to miss this week's game with a sprained AC joint, and if that's the case, Golladay is going to be asked to step into the starting lineup.

It's been boom or bust this season for the rookie. He's had two games with at least 18 DFP and four games with 3.5 DFP or fewer. We suspect this will be a more balanced game with five or six receptions for 60 yards for the rookie to beat his PFP.

Sit 'Em: Eric Ebron (5.0 PFP)

If anyone finds Eric Ebron out there, can you please report him back to Detroit? The North Carolina product has been absolutely nowhere in this Detroit offense, amassing a total of just six catches in his last four games. He has just one contest this season in which he beat his PFP, and that required a touchdown against the New York Giants.

Always a good red zone threat, Ebron is tough to play against with a PFP this low. Darren Fells is starting to get more love from Matt Stafford than Ebron, though, and that's bad news for Ebron's fantasy prospects.