Matthew Stafford, Golden Tate, Jeremy Ross' Post-Week 7 Fantasy Reaction

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had better days at the office than Week 7, but that didn't keep him from getting the ball to Golden Tate and Jeremy Ross early and often. He made it count when it mattered most, scoring two late touchdowns to pull out a 24-23 victory.

Stafford was set for a big day against the Saints' 25th-ranked pass defense that gives up 268 yards per game, but that wasn't the case for most of Sunday. Stafford went 27-of-40 with 299 yards and two interceptions, but did throw two touchdowns in the last 3:38 to pull out the victory.

Quarterback	Comp/Att	Yards	TD	INT
Wide Receiver	Catches	Yards	Average	TD
Matthew Stafford	27/40	299	2	2
Golden Tate	10	154	15.4	1
Jeremy Ross	3	32	10.7	0

His first touchdown was a big one, connecting with Tate for a 73-yard score that trimmed it to a one-possession game late. That upped Tate's already-productive outing to 10 catches for 154 yards and a score.

Ross only caught three passes for 32 yards. 

Although there was some success generated late, what stuck out most to former NFL player Jamie Dukes was Stafford's ineffectiveness without Megatron:

With the league's best receiver shelved, passing struggles were to be expected from the Lions despite the other weapons around Stafford. But although it wasn't pretty on Sunday, Stafford found ways to get his best targets involved late.

Keep an eye on Johnson's status to help figure out how effective Stafford will be, as he hasn't been himself without the star wideout in the fold. But with a Week 8 matchup against the Falcons—who rank 29th in the league in pass defense—looming, the Lions may be able to right the ship regardless.

It wasn't pretty for most of the four quarters against the Saints, but the Lions found some success late and that should translate to next weekend.