Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson missed the game on Sunday with an ankle injury and there is a chance that the WR could be out next week as well, making Golden Tate the top fantasy football replacement for him, while running back Reggie Bush is expected to return to join Joique Bell in the starting lineup after being held out in Week 6 as well.
Bush was held out as a precaution, while Johnson has been dealing with an ankle injury for multiple weeks and now Jim Caldwell could keep him out again next week. According to ESPN.com, Johnson has been suffering from a high ankle sprain that he sustained back in Week 3 and he missed his first game of the season with the matchup on Sunday. Johnson was admittedly used as a decoy against the NY Jets and after that he had just one catch for five yards against the Bills.
The Lions have a bye coming up in Week 9 and if Johnson is held out until then, it would mean missing games against the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. The Lions dominated the Vikings on Sunday, but Matthew Stafford had a season low amount of passing yards and his first sub-200 passing yard game since back in December of 2013 when the Eagles and Lions played a blizzard game. The Lions won on Sunday, but if Johnson has to miss an extended period of time it will be tough for the Lions and fantasy owners to replace him.
Johnson has been one of the most consistent players in the league over the past few years and now he could be out for multiple games. Caldwell said that Johnson and the team will test the ankle leading into next week, but it's very likely Johnson will be rested into the bye week. If that happens fantasy owners will need a major replacement and the best options on the Lions include Golden Tate, Jeremy Ross and Corey Fuller. Johnson being out for multiple weeks is a huge hit for fantasy owners, as many built their teams around Johnson and now cannot replace him.
Tate has been very solid this season as the second option past Johnson, as he has 38 catches for 495 yards and one score this year. The team was hopeful Tate could make an impact and after going for back to back 100 yard games, he had seven catches for 44 yards in the Week 6 game against the Vikings. Matthew Stafford's numbers were low and that gave the WRs lower numbers this week too.
Fuller is a solid option after playing in over 100 snaps already this season, while Ross has nine catches on the season and he could see his role expanded with Johnson out. Last season Johnson had 84 catches for 1492 yards in 14 games and the season before he had one of the best years ever for a WR. Johnson had 1964 yards and 122 catches to go along with five TDs and he was over 100 yards in 11 games, the only time in his career he did that double digit times in one season.