Detroit Lions

Lions at Colts: 5 best fantasy options

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Aug 27, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) drops back to pass during the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

When the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts take the field this weekend, the passing game will be on display.

It is fantasy football time once again and the focus here on the late Sunday afternoon tilt between the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts.

Quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Andrew Luck both have lots of talent at wide receiver at their disposal. So you won’t be surprised when you take a look at our top five selections.

5. QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions

Maligned early in his career for not being able to stay on the field, the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft has settled in and become a very effective passer.

While seven-year pro Matthew Stafford still has plenty of critics, you can’t argue with the numbers he has put up the past five seasons dating back to 2011. He’s now made 80 consecutive regular-season starts and in each of those years he’s thrown for at least 4,200 yards and a minimum of 20 touchdowns. Of course, he’s also thrown at least 12 interceptions in each of those five campaigns.

A year ago, no team in the league ran for fewer yards than the Lions. They are counting on second-year pro Ameer Abdullah to be more effective this season but the team’s other primary running back is much more of a receiving threat. Only Golden Tate (90) and Calvin Johnson (88) caught more passes than Theo Riddick, who totaled 80 receptions for 697 yards and three touchdowns.

But it’s Stafford that has the potential to light up the Indianapolis defense. He comes off a year in which he managed a career-best 67.2 completion percentage and threw for 32 scores compared to only 13 interceptions. With Tate, Riddick and wideouts Marvin Jones, Anquan Boldin and Andre Roberts at his disposal, his numbers in 2016 could be off the charts. Now add in the fact that on Sunday the quarterback may have tight end Eric Ebron at his disposal (courtesy of Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press) and Stafford could be primed for a prime outing.

Sep 1, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) against the Cincinnati Bengals in a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. The Colts won 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

4. WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts

We are talking about a franchise that has employed Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison and prolific wideout Reggie Wayne over the last two decades. Both of those players have caught more than 1,000 passes during their tremendous career.

Now it is four-year pro T.Y. Hilton who has emerged as the team’s top wide receiver. As a rookie in 2012, he finished third on the club with 50 catches but did lead the Colts with seven touchdown receptions. In each of the past three seasons, he has paced Chuck Pagano’s club in catches and receiving yards – totaling 50 or more grabs and 1,000-plus yards in each of those campaigns.

In 2015, Hilton didn’t see a lot of 2012 draft classmate Andrew Luck, who played in only seven games. Still, the explosive playmaker and two-time Pro Bowler totaled 69 receptions for 1,124 yards and five scores. It marked the fourth time in as many years the young pass-catcher reached the end zone at least that many times.

So will he be his quarterback’s top target in this meeting with the Detroit Lions? We have other ideas but that doesn’t mean that you should sit down a player with 283 catches and 24 touchdown grabs in four NFL seasons. With the lack of a consistent ground game, the Colts will be putting the ball in the air early and often. And Hilton will certainly get his share of passes thrown this way. But don’t be surprised if he takes a bit of a back seat this week to…

Aug 20, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts receiver Donte Moncrief (10) runs past Baltimore Ravens defensive back Lardarius Webb (21) and corner back Jerraud Powers (36) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

3. WR Donte Moncrief, Indianapolis Colts

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Even with the amount of talent that the Indianapolis Colts have at the wide receiver spot, which includes two-time Pro Bowler T.Y. Hilton and promising second-year pro Phillip Dorsett (the team’s first-round pick in 2015), the time has come for one of the team’s higher picks the last few years.

As a rookie in 2014, third-round pick Donte Moncrief appeared in all 16 games and made two starts. He totaled 32 receptions for 444 yards and three scores. Fast forward to his second year, where he doubled both his reception total (64) and scoring production (6).

Keep in mind that this came with a ton of upheaval at quarterback the past year. But what really stands out is the fact that five of Moncrief’s six touchdowns came in the first seven games – all with quarterback Andrew Luck at the controls. And his aforementioned 64 grabs in 2015 was second only to Hilton (69) on the team.

Don’t get it twisted. All of the Colts’ wideouts will get their share of throws their way. A year ago, both Hilton (134) and Moncrief (105) were targeted 100-plus times. And with tight end Coby Fleener now a member of the New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis’ passing attack will be very wide receiver oriented.

We don’t have a lot of faith in Chuck Pagano’s defense, which means this could be quite the free-for-all at Lucas Oil Stadium. And by game’s end, it will be Moncrief who will emerge as Luck’s favorite pass-catcher – at least for one week.

Sep 1, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) against the Cincinnati Bengals in a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. The Colts won 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

2. QB Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

Here’s the bad news and the good news when it comes to Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck.

The first overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft has turned over the ball 69 times in 55 regular-season outings. But the former Stanford product has also shown a propensity for overcoming his mistakes and has brought back him team on more than one occasion.

Here’s the better news when it comes to the four-year signal-caller in regards to a fantasy football play. The Colts have not proven they can run the football with any kind of consistency the last few years and the defense has been substandard. That can add up to some very big numbers, as was the case in 2014 when he threw for 4,761 yards and led the NFL with 40 touchdown strikes.

This week, Luck takes aim at a Lions defensive unit that had its ups and downs last season but definitely played better the second half of the season. The Colts could threaten a suspect Detroit unit with running backs Frank Gore, Robert Turbin and Jordan Todman but it’s not likely. So look for the fifth-year signal-caller to play pitch-and-catch with wideouts T.Y. Hilton, emerging Donte Moncrief and second-year pro Phillip Dorsett early and often, with tight end Dwayne Allen a viable red zone target.

Even with the various quarterbacks playing for the Colts in 2015, Hilton and Moncrief combined for 133 receptions, good for 1,857 yards and 11 scores. While the former paced the club with 1,124 yards and 69 catches, the latter totaled a team-high six touchdown grabs.

Aug 18, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones (11) celebrates after a catch during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

1. WR Marvin Jones, Detroit Lions

It has been a rollercoaster couple of seasons for wideout Marvin Jones, now in the Motor City and looking to somehow take up the slack for a mega-departure.

A fifth-round pick in 2012 by the Cincinnati Bengals from the University of California, the 26-year-old receiver has totaled 134 catches for 1,729 yards and 15 touchdowns in his brief career. He missed all of 2014 with a knee injury following a season in which caught 51 passes – 10 for scores.

A year ago, he started a career-best 13 games for Marvin Lewis’ team and totaled career bests in grabs (65) and receiving yards (816) but reached the end zone only four times.

Now he’s a member of a new-look Detroit Lions receiving corps than saw perennial Pro Bowler Calvin Johnson retire after nine seasons. Along with Jones, new general manager Bob Quinn added the likes of Anquan Boldin, Andre Roberts, Andre Caldwell (on injured reserve) and Jeremy Kerley (traded to the San Francisco 49ers) to team with Golden Tate (team-high 90 receptions in 2015).

So what about this week at Lucas Oil Stadium? It’s worth noting that this was a Colts’ defensive unit that ranked 24th in the league against the pass one year ago. It’s also a group that will be without talented cornerback Vontae Davis this week, further weakening an already suspect unit. And given the fact that the Indianapolis pass rush doesn’t exactly strike fear into opposing quarterbacks and you could see quarterback Matthew Stafford take aim at Jones at least 10 times in this contest.

And given the fact that it’s not unlikely that the Lions could be playing from behind in this contest, all signs point to it being a busy afternoon for the free-agent addition.