Golden Tate's Updated Fantasy Outlook Heading into Week 7

Fantasy owners have an interesting dilemma to deal with when it comes to Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate.

Normally a sure-handed fantasy producer over his past few years of work, many expected a few things from Tate. One, an absolute explosion in fantasy production in the Lions' pass-happy attack while defenses focused on Calvin Johnson.

Two, WR1 production from Tate with Megatron out of the picture, such as last week in Minnesota.

As one can glean from his body of work with his new team, Tate has failed to deliver as most hoped:

WK	OPP	REC	YDS	TD	PTS
1	NYG	6	93	0	9
2	@Car	5	57	0	5
3	GB	5	51	0	5
4	@NYJ	8	116	0	11
5	Buf	7	134	1	19
6	@Min	7	44	0	4

On the way to his lowest point total of the season last week—with Johnson out of the lineup—Tate struggled with drops and wound up catching just seven of 12 targets.

So while it is fair to say that the former Notre Dame star did the exact opposite of what most expected, meaning he folded once the defense dialed in on him, it is important to point out that the Vikings do rank 15th in terms of points surrendered to wideouts each week.

Tate offered his thoughts on the outing and his expectations heading into next week, as captured by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:

“I try to prepare like I’m a No. 1 no matter if I’m a No. 1 or a No. 5,” Tate said, per Birkett. “That’s how I am now. But, yeah, [with Johnson out] there’s a feeling that I need to step up a little more than I have in the past, and especially last game wasn’t my best game.”

Tate and his owners get a shot at redemption in Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints. Not only is the opposition horrific against wideouts, but it sounds as if Megatron will miss that contest as well, per Birkett:

What will not be a miracle is a turnaround from Tate against the Saints, which should provide him a strong sense of momentum going into what is mostly a favorable schedule the rest of the way:

WK	OPP	Rank vs. WRs (avg. points surrendered)
7	NO	29 (25.6)
8	@Atl	22 (23.0)
9	BYE
10	Mia	13 (19.4)
11	@Ari	31 (27.8)
12	@NE	5 (15.7)
13	Chi	18 (21.5)
14	TB	32 (31.)
15	Min	15 (19.7)
16	@Chi	18 (21.5)
17	@GB	11 (18.5)

Now, it is logical to think that Tate may not see enough opportunities to produce well in Week 7, even in the confines of a pass-first attack. After all, run the ball well, and Drew Brees cannot do any damage from the sidelines in a ball cap. 

But that same logic surely would have applied in Week 3 against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. The team did run more than pass, but the margin was 38-34, respectively. Tate was ineffective, but the Packers very quietly rank just outside of the top 10 against the position.

In short, Tate will have plenty of chances to post WR2 production or better come Sunday. Remember that two weeks ago against Buffalo, Tate saw a team-high nine targets after injuries to Johnson and back Reggie Bush, which turned into his second consecutive trip into double digits.

Tate is certainly capable of strong production without Johnson in the lineup when faced with a favorable matchup. It is inadvisable to shop him around, although buying low is a good option for those in need of a WR2 with upside.

While a tad unreliable so far, Tate is a surefire starter most weeks, especially with Johnson out of the picture. His potential expected output switches accordingly, but when faced with a favorable matchup, owners should still feel confident Tate can produce at a steady clip.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats. Statistics courtesy of ESPN. Philadelphia, Tampa Bay on bye.