The Detroit Lions and fantasy football owners may be without Calvin Johnson for Week 6 and now that puts Golden Tate as the top start option for owners and quarterback Matthew Stafford along with Eric Ebron, as he could see increased targets with Jeremy Ross in the offense if Johnson remains out for an extended period of time.
Johnson has been hobbled for the past couple weeks and now he may be held out of the game this week against the Minnesota Vikings, according to SI.com. Johnson is dealing with an ankle injury and Peter King writes that he could miss up to two weeks while he rests the ankle after aggravating it against the Bills over the weekend. Johnson is the best WR in the league and fantasy owners will be scrambling if he is out for an extended period of time.
High ankle sprains can be tough to deal with and while Johnson's doesn't appear to be serious, the team wants to be cautious with their star. Jamaal Charles dealt with a similar injury this season and while he was out for a bit, he was able to return with no lingering issues. Johnson has been in pain for the past few weeks and the Lions nearly held him out of the game against the Bills this past weekend in case of any aggravation to the ankle.
Johnson will test out the leg through the week and he is hoping that there are no serious issues regarding the injury, but the Lions are likely to keep him out at last for this week. Johnson has only three catches for 19 yards over the past two weeks and while he can be used as a decoy, it makes very little sense to risk a serious injury if he cannot play to his usual strength. Johnson has not had a breakout game this season apart from Week 1 and that has frustrated fantasy owners.
Johnson started the season big with two TDs and 164 yards on seven catches against the Giants, but those were his last scores and now he will likely be out for a bit. Golden Tate is the top option to snag or start with Johnson out, as he has been making up for the lost targets. Last week Tate had a solid game with seven catches for 134 yards and a touchdown in the loss against the Bills and he likely will be the main target for Matthew Stafford if Johnson is out. Tate has now put together two big games in a row with eight catches for 116 yards against the Jets, making him a solid start with the hot hands.
Jeremy Ross is a deep league option, as he had two catches for 65 yards and he could be in the mix to get some more targets in the game as well. Reggie Bush is day to day and with Joique Bell injured, he could have a big game as long as he is active and ready to go. Bush said he likely will play on Sunday and he is coming in after a bad day, going for 13 yards on just six carries along with two catches for 30 yards. The Lions now need to bounce back after a tough loss to the Bills and they have the Vikings in Week 6.
