LestersLegends.com

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Calvin Johnson a.k.a. Megatron is a bad man. He has 36 catches for 564 yards and nine touchdowns through six games. He’s on pace for 96 catches for 1504 yards and 24 touchdowns.
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Detroit Metal loves Megatron and is sponsoring a contest to guess his fantasy points against Atlanta this coming Sunday. We’ll do six points for a touchdown and 0.1 points for every yard he gets. His average score this year is 18.4 points.
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Whoever comes the closest without going over takes home the prize.
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As always, be original. If somebody guessed a total you want, you’ll have to come up with another one. Just leave a comment with your best guess and be sure to check out Detroit Metal.

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There are plenty of WRs that came into the season with high expectations. While the following WRs have not been productive, it’s not because they aren’t on their quarterbacks radar. When you’re being ignored in the passing game, you have a problem. When you are getting your looks, there is hope. Here are some players to be patient with if you own them, or try to trade for them if you don’t.
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Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals:  Fitz is third in league in the league with 35 targets. Sure, he’s only caught 12 passes, but you have to at least be encouraged by the effort Arizona is making to get him the ball. This may be lowest his stock is all year. Be aggressive if you want to get him. Make them overwhelm you if you own him.
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Terrell Owens, Cincinnati Bengals:  T.O. probably isn’t happy with his 14 catches on the year, but he can’t have a gripe the 33 targets he’s received, which is just one short of Ocho’s. He has yet to score a TD this year, but is a good bet to score #145 this weekend against Cleveland.
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Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions:  Megatron has caught half of his 28 targets this year. He has just 151 yards and has just 1 TD, though most would argue he should have two. Losing Matthew Stafford didn’t help matters, but he should be returning soon. He hasn’t topped 56 yards in a game this year. Get him while he’s low.

The Lions have added some young pieces (Stafford, Best, Megatron, Pettigrew) on offense over the past couple of years. They added some pieces on defense as well. They are far from being a contender, but they should be more competitive in 2010.

Fantasy Playoffs Schedule:  Moderate
The Lions face the Packers at home, the Bucs on the road, and the Dolphins on the road. Calvin Johnson is probably the only sure thing in the playoffs.  Him and your Packers and Dolphins.

Five Star Fantasy Options
Calvin Johnson – Assuming he (and Stafford) is healthy, Megatron should put up numbers more resembling his 2008 season (78-1331-12) than his 2009 season (67-984-5). Mainly because he’ll have more of a comfort level with Stafford, but also because Nate Burleson should take some of the defensive pressure away.

Four Star Fantasy Options
None

Three Star Fantasy Options
Matthew Stafford – With Megatron and the combo of Tony Scheffler and Brandon Pettigrew at TE, Stafford should have some weapons at his disposal. Nate Burleson provides an upgrade at #2 WR. Stafford had his moments as a rookie, and should make some progress in his second year. He remains a low-end QB2 though.

Jahvid Best – Best will have to prove he can hold up to the rigors of the NFL, but he has electrifying talent with little competition. He could be a nice dual threat if he’s able to stay on the field.

Two Star Fantasy Options
Nate Burleson – Burleson has a knack for performing well when you don’t expect him to and poorly when you do. He’s worth a look as a WR5 in his new home. He should have opportunities playing opposite of Calvin Johnson.

One Star Fantasy Options
Kevin Smith and Maurice Morris – I’m concerned with his knee and with the number of carries he’ll get. He’s a good low-end pick to round out your bench. If Best gets hurt or can’t carry the load, Smith could take over as feature back. Morris only has value if both Best and Smith go down.

Brandon Pettigrew & Tony Scheffler
Pettigrew could miss some time early on as he recovers from his  knee injury. Scheffler should see more looks as Pettigrew recovers, but will split duties as the season progresses.

Lions Defense/Special Teams – I like the additions of Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vanden Bosch, but this defense is still a long way away.

Click here for additional 2010 NFL Team Previews.

It’s looking like Anquan Boldin will finally be forced to sit out because of his ankle injury. It’s not healing properly because he keeps tweaking it. They’ll need him at full strength if they’re going to make another run at the division and beyond. Steve Breaston will get the start, and makes a great play this weekend.

Jake Delhomme (chest) has been able to practice, but I wouldn’t even use him in two-QB leagues at this point. If he struggles, it will be Matt Moore time. He is also a risk to aggravate his injury. Oh yeah, and he must be color blind because he can’t figure out which team to throw the ball to.


Calvin Johnson (knee) was able to return to practice for the Lions, which is a good indication that he’ll be ready to return to the field finally. Detroit desperately needs him in their lineup. If he can go, he makes for a great play against Seattle.


Brian Westbrook (concussion) got medical clearance to play this weekend against Dallas. He’ll probably be in a reduced role because LeSean McCoy has played so well. Westy isn’t a must-start at this point, but he should be a solid option as long as he’s given the green light by the Eagles’ coaching staff.  McCoy has the flu, which could cause the Eagles to lean on Westy a bit more. Monitor this situation.

Limited (No Worries)
Steve Breaston (knee)
Donald Driver (neck)
Matt Hasselbeck (ribs)
Todd Heap (ankle)
Devin Hester (ankle)
Greg Olsen (ankle)
Aaron Rodgers (foot, toe)
Kevin Smith (shoulder)
Jonathan Stewart (heel)

Limited (Don’t Use)
Lance Moore (ankle) – Not because he’s hurting, but because he’s been bad this year.
Muhsin Muhammad – Even if he plays, he shouldn’t be in your lineup.

Image courtesy of Icon SMI

Calvin Johnson became a fantasy beast in his second year catching 78 passes for 1331 yards and 12 TDs.  He had at least 90 yards and/or a TD in 12 of the 16 games.  He should get better QB play this year with Daunte Culpepper in better shape and familiar with the team, and the addition of the first pick in last year’s NFL Draft, Matthew Stafford.

Megatron’s size, 6’5″ and 236 lbs., makes him a nightmare to cover.  Defensive Backs simply do not have the size and strength to matchup with him, and Linebackers don’t have the speed.  Kevin Smith and Maurice Morris for a talented duo in the backfield to take pressure off of the passing game.  Two newcomers, free agent Bryant Johnson and Rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew will keep defenses from keying in too heavily on Calvin. 

The only problem I foresee is the fantasy playoff schedule.  The Lions face Baltimore, Arizona (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie), and San Francisco (Nate Clements).  That’s not enough to deter me from taking Megatron in the second round of fantasy drafts and projecting him for 85 receptions for 1400 yards and 12 TDs.