Fantasy Football: 4 Things We Learned From Week 2

Marvin Jones Is the Receiver to Own in Detroit

Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that Marvin Jones is the receiver you should want to own in Detroit -- our own JJ Zachariason touted Jones hard this offseason. And, after Week 2, we can be pretty confident that that was justified.

When Calvin Johnson retired in March, folks begin talking about how well Golden Tate would be able to fill Johnson's role as the number-one receiver, without even thinking about Jones being a viable option.

But prior to this week's game against the Titans, the Lions signaled that they wanted to keep involving Tate more with passes around the line of scrimmage, as they tended to do in 2015 once new offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter came on board, and as they did in Week 1. While this gameplan does help Tate owners in PPR leagues, if he's unable to make magic happen after the catch, or if he's not receiving the team lead in targets, then it becomes problematic.

Enter Marvin Jones.

Jones has led the team in targets two weeks in a row, generating double-digit targets in both weeks while registering a combined stat line of 12 catches for 203 yards and a meh-but-still-league-average 0.67 Reception NEP per target. Tate, on the other hand, has 9 catches on 18 targets for 54 yards and 0.08 Reception NEP per target.

Ugh.

It's clear at this point that the Jones signing was meant for him to fill Megatron's shoes (if that's even possible) in making downfield plays, whereas Tate would retain a possession receiver role.

So for those who held off a few rounds during draft season to select Jones at a lower average draft cost, congratulations. You own the most valuable receiver in Detroit.