Week 6 vs. Chicago
The Detroit QBs threw for 379 yards in the loss to Arizona last week, but Calvin Johnson finished with a pedestrian five catches for 67 yards. Golden Tate led the team with 18 targets, followed by Theo Riddick’s 13. It has been a disappointing season for the Lions and Megatron owners, as he’s averaging just 64 yards per game with one total TD. The Bears have given up just 186 yards per game through the air, but there’s no question Johnson is a must-start every week.
Week 5 vs. Arizona
Calvin Johnson came within a whisker of putting the Lions ahead late in the fourth quarter last Monday night. But as has been Detroit’s case this season, it was not meant to be as Kam Chancellor knocked the ball out of Megatron’s arm just before he crossed the goal line. Calvin led his team with seven receptions for 56 yards in the loss and is averaging over 11 looks per game from Matthew Stafford. Despite just one score this season, you’re always going to start Johnson, even against Patrick Peterson and a solid Arizona secondary.
Week 4at Seattle
With Detroit behind in a game yet again and the running game providing no help, Matthew Stafford was forced to throw the ball often in the home loss to the Broncos last Sunday night. Of Stafford’s 45 attempts, 13 went in the direction of Calvin Johnson. Despite being shadowed by Aqib Talib all night, Megatron finished with eight grabs for 77 yards. He has 20 receptions in the first three games, but just one score. The Seahawks will most certainly shut down the Lions ground game again on Monday night, so it could be another frustrating game for the offense. However, regardless of the opponent and situation, Johnson is a must-start.
Week 3 vs. Denver
After catching just two passes in Week 1, Calvin Johnson registered 10 grabs for 83 yards and a TD in the loss to the Vikings last Sunday. Matthew Stafford threw the ball 53 times, with 17 of those passes going in the direction of Megatron. While Stafford is beat up, he should be able to play on Sunday night to face a good Denver defense. Johnson is a must-start in any format, regardless of the QB.
Week 2 vs. Minnesota
With Matthew Stafford throwing the ball 30 times in San Diego last week, Calvin Johnson was targeted only four times, resulting in two grabs for 39 yards. Even after the Lions fell behind, Stafford looked for Golden Tate more often, as he was targeted a team-high eight times. In one game versus the Vikings last season, Megatron caught four passes for 53 yards. Consider Week 1 an anomaly, as Johnson is still one of the best WRs in the game.
Week 1 vs. San Diego
Having Calvin Johnson healthy is a huge boost for Matthew Stafford and the Detroit offense. Playing in just 13 contests last season, Megatron was a bit of a fantasy disappointment, accumulating less than 1,100 yards with eight TDs. He scored twice in Week 1 last year and should get off to a good start versus the Chargers secondary on Sunday.
Fantasy Upside
After battling through an ankle injury that kept him out of three full games last season, Calvin Johnson is completely healthy. Despite the missed action, he still eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the sixth time in his eight year career, catching 71 passes along the way. As QB Matthew Stafford’s favorite target, Johnson was over the century mark five times and the Lions offense just isn’t the same without him in the lineup. Prior to last season, Megatron had only missed four games in his career. Along with Demaryius Thomas, he is the only other WR to register over 4,000 receiving yards in the past three seasons and has scored 20 times the past two years.
Fantasy Downside
For the first time in five seasons, Calvin finished outside the top 6 in WR scoring, but finished in the top 10 on a points per game basis. In addition to last year’s injury, he’s had knee problems that have given him fits throughout his career.
Bottom Line
When Calvin is on the field, Stafford will look to him first, regardless of the opponent or how many defensive backs are around. Stafford targeted him at least 10 times on nine occasions last season and, at 6’5”, Johnson seems to come down with just about anything near him. While he’s listed as our number five WR, Megatron is still one of the best in the game and can give you a big game any week. The downside is his age (30 in September) and the wear and tear on his large frame. Can Calvin stay healthy?
Wild Card – Calvin Johnson vs. Dallas Cowboys
As Detroit was fighting for the division crown and a potential first round bye in the playoffs at Green Bay last week, Calvin Johnson was targeted 11 times by Matthew Stafford. Calvin registered four receptions for 39 yards and two TDs. Despite missing three full games with an ankle injury in ’14, Megatron eclipsed 1,000 yards again, collecting eight touchdowns along the way. Johnson should post solid numbers at Dallas on Sunday, but do you have enough confidence in the Lions to get the win for him to be on your playoff roster?
Week 17 – Calvin Johnson vs. Green Bay Packers
With Matthew Stafford throwing for 243 yards last week at Chicago, Calvin Johnson collected six receptions for a team-high 103 yards. It was his fifth time over the century mark this season, including three of the past four outings. Calvin led the Lions with six grabs for 82 yards in the first matchup against the Packers back in September and there’s no question you’re going to start him this week.
Week 16 – Calvin Johnson vs. Chicago Bears
Matthew Stafford threw for only 153 yards last Sunday in the victory over Minnesota. On six targets, Calvin Johnson ended up with four catches for 53 yards, breaking a streak of two straight over the century mark. Johnson is definitely looking forward to another meeting with the Bears after registering 146 yards and two scores against them on Thanksgiving. Look for big numbers from Megatron again against a poor Chicago D.
