The quickest way to fall behind in a fantasy football league is to become complacent and rely on the team you drafted, neglecting the all-important waiver wire. As managers make numerous waiver claims for Week 5, hoping to strengthen their roster, should Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff be a priority addition off the waiver wire vs. New England?
Jared Goff Continues His Hot Start in Week 4
Every year there are narratives you never see coming. Even at the first thought pops into your head, you shake it off with a “nah” and move on with your life. That’s how many felt when the idea of Goff becoming a high-upside fantasy football option was floated around. He might have a decent game, but it’s Goff at the end of the day. He’s the QB equivalent of white New Balance shoes with calf-high socks.
Yet, believe it or not, Goff couldn’t be trending any higher. Despite not having Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark, or D’Andre Swift, Goff had his third-straight game with 250+ passing yards in an absolute shootout against the Seattle Seahawks.
With 93 combined points, Goff was sensational as he dueled Geno Smith, completing 26 of 39 passing for 378 yards with four TDs, a two-point conversion, and an INT. Goff ended the day as the QB1 in fantasy, scoring 34.2 PPR.
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That makes it four good outings in a row to kick off the 2022 campaign. Goff now sits as the QB5 overall, averaging 22.9 PPR. Sunday’s performance marked the eighth time this year a QB has tossed touchdowns in a game. However, Goff is the only one to have done it twice.
With that said, Goff has benefited from timely big plays, which have boosted his scores. Of his 11 touchdowns and 1,126 yards, passes between 0-9 yards in depth (51%) have accounted for five of his touchdowns and 46.6% of his yards (525).
It is impressive what he has done but also a testament to how good this Lions team could be and how quickly the rebuild is going. We’ll ignore the fact you need to have been good at one point to rebuild, but you get my point.
This is a team that is also going to get better this season. While they do view Jameson Williams as a long-term solution, it’s expected we see him at some point in 2022. When that day comes, I’ll put up the Lions’ offensive talent of Swift, St. Brown, Chark, Williams, and T.J. Hockenson up against anyone.
Will Jared Goff Keep Up His Hot Streak vs. NE or Is He a Waiver Wire Trap in Week 5?
By no means should anyone expect to see Goff have nearly 380 yards and four TDs a week. We don’t even expect that from Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen. But I wouldn’t keep overlooking Goff if you’re streaming QBs after watching the late-round QB draft strategy implode this year.
Goff is not only the beneficiary of a talented offense, but the Lions’ porous defense means the Lions can’t take their foot off the accelerator or risk going down multiple scores. Detroit has allowed over 290 passing yards a game with two games of 300+ and has surrendered seven passing touchdowns. They’re allowing the most QB points per game (35.25) and total yards (444.75).
That means when facing a middle-of-the-road or below-average team, we can still see points on the board. That’s critical this week against the New England Patriots, who will likely have their third-string QB, Bailey Zappe, under center. It’s the only reason the game still carries a 45.5 total at the moment.
Aiding Goff is New England’s own defensive struggles. They sit 21st in fantasy points allowed through four games (20.45), but that is slightly inflated due to Lamar Jackson’s QB3 outing in Week 3.
There are just three quarterbacks in the league with over 1,100 yards and double-digit touchdowns: Allen, Mahomes, and Jared freaking Goff. Not bad for some guy floating around on 56% of waiver wires.
Goff currently sits as my QB15 in Week 5 rankings and would be a target of mine if I’m streaming the position. I wouldn’t just drop him, either. While his schedule does get harder, Goff is a not-so-sneaky-anymore high-end QB2 in rest-of-season rankings.
