Calvin Johnson A Fantasy Football Dud In Week 1

Calvin Johnson had a terrible Week 1 fantasy football game. Johnson was playing against the San Diego Chargers, a team that has been notoriously tough against the pass. It didn’t help matters that Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was having a rough day as well. Johnson finished the day with just two catches for 39 yards. He didn’t score a touchdown, meaning he brought in just 3.9 fantasy points for most leagues.

Eric Ebron led the team in receptions and yards, finishing with just four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. He could have been a sneaky pick-up at tight end for the week, especially since he was available in so many different leagues. His output will likely lead to a lot of owners picking him up from free agency when Week 2 match-ups get started.

As for Johnson, despite a tough match-up on the schedule, he was still projected to put up 14 fantasy points against the Chargers. The ESPN projections had him at 82 yards and a touchdown, making him a safe bet in fantasy lineups. While those aren’t ground-breaking numbers, getting 14.2 points is much better than the 3.9 points he did get.

Calvin Johnson was selected in the first or second round of most fantasy football drafts this year. With a high selection like that comes an expectation of double-digit scoring every week. Owners counting on him to do that in Week 1 were sorely disappointed, especially with the fact that he was only targeted four times by Stafford. If the game plan is for the Lions to win football games, the coaching staff has to get him more involved in the plays.

Despite having a horrible first week, Johnson will remain a must-start in all fantasy football formats. The Detroit Lions play the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2, giving him and Stafford a chance to bounce back with some big numbers. That’s an important game for the team to win, because the next two opponents after that are he Denver Broncos on September 27 and the Seattle Seahawks on October 5.

Last season was a down year for Johnson, as he finished with just 71 catches for 1,077 yards and eight touchdowns. He only played in 13 games, but his overall production had taken quite the hit. What fantasy football owners and Detroit Lions fans have to hope is that this isn’t a trend in the wrong direction. He will have a great chance to set that straight against the Vikings on September 20.

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