Lions’ WR Core: Who is the guy?

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This here is a whacky situation. Looking at targets simply doesn’t bring clarity. Currently, Golden Tate leads the trio (12 p/g). Second is Kenny Golladay (9.3 p/g), followed by Marvin Jones (7.7 p/g). While eyes are instantly pulled to Tate’s insane volume, our honest selves will tell us he’s not going to total 192 looks by season’s end, with 144 (9 p/g) being the most of his career. Fundamentally, the Lions’ defense isn’t very good, so ranking top 5 in pass attempts is a palatable supposition. However, some degree of redistribution is likely in order.

What’s really amazing is the fact that the three receivers are all on pace to see 120+ targets this season — an unlikely phenomenon engineered by the way Detroit funnels pass attempts. With the departure of Eric Ebron, there’s no tight end on the roster who projects as anything close to a volume receiver. Ebron takes 5.4 targets per game with him, and the void is not being filled by off season acquisition, Luke Wilson (1.7 p/g).

All of this has driven second year wideout, Kenny Golladay, to relevancy. Out of the trio, he is the receiver I’m most drawn to. His nine targets per game have him in the top 20 league-wide. He’s by far the fastest receiver on the team in terms of game speed.

Additionally, his QB rating when targeted outpaces Tate and Jones by over twenty points (105.7). Perhaps the most unheralded aspect of Golladay’s production is that 23.6% of his snaps are coming from the slot, an area otherwise dominated by Tate. All three wide receivers should remain fantasy assets, but the combination of big play ability (26th in yards per target), yards after catch (3.2 p/tgt), and athletic 6’4” frame, have Golladay perched as king of the castle. Pencil him in as a weekly WR2.