Fantasy football owners who spent an early round pick on Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson were really starting to get nervous there for a moment. Following an injury-plagued 2014 season, Johnson's fantasy stock took a bit of a hit this offseason as he was no longer the consensus first-round player he used to be.
Through the first five games this year, all Lions losses, Johnson was living down to expectations. No, he wasn't terrible. But he was hardly the No. 1 WR owners thought they were getting. Before this past weekend, Johnson had caught 32 passes for 322 yards and just one score. He turned that around in a big way against the Chicago Bears defense, hauling in six passes for 166 yards and a touchdown.
According to ESPN Fantasy Insider KC Joyner, the good times should keep rolling.
"Age was considered to be the primary reason Johnson only had 33 fantasy points before Week 6, yet the real thing holding him back was a brutal schedule," Joyner wrote. "In Weeks 3-5, the Lions faced three defenses in Denver, Seattle and Arizona that often covered Johnson with what I term 'red-rated' cornerbacks. A red rating indicates that a coverage defender is someone who can shut down most pass-catchers and who can even hold dominant wide receivers somewhat in check.
"The Bears had no one close to being considered a red-rated coverage defender, so Johnson was finally able to showcase his skills...Johnson has only one red-rated cornerback on the rest of his schedule, so look for this newfound statistical excellence to continue."
Detroit's next four games are against the Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packs and Oakland Raiders. Those teams rank 14th, 25th, 11th and 31st - respectively - in passing yards allowed per game. Kansas City alone has already allowed 14 receiving touchdowns on the year. For the foreseeable future, Johnson is a safe play.
