Can we really be surprised that the Detroit Lions struggled in Week 9 after trading away their top wide receiver?
Golden Tate had been a critical piece of Matthew Stafford's offense for years, and his absence was sorely felt in the Lions' loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Tate's short routes from the slot probably would have come in handy as Stafford was under constant pressure throughout the game, with the Lions giving up an insane 10 sacks.
The Tate trade and the Demaryius Thomas trade didn't mean the same thing for their old teams. Thomas was struggling this season but demanding a relatively high target share -- it makes sense that the offense wouldn't suffer too much without him. But Tate led his team with a 27% target share and an elite 272 yards after the catch. Tate's skill set is a unique one, and it was not easily replaced this week.
The Lions did their best to try and replace him, though, primarily by using Theo Riddick as a receiver out of the backfield. Riddick tied for a team-high 8 targets and caught 7 of them for 36 yards (just 5.14 yards per reception). By comparison, Tate averaged 11.54 yards per reception, more than double what they got out of Riddick in Week 9. If Riddick continues to see this kind of usage, he can be a fantasy factor in PPR leagues.
Marvin Jones was another big beneficiary of the trade. Jones also saw 8 targets in Week 9, catching 6 for a team-leading 66 yards. Jones saw all of his targets come from out wide, so he won't be filling Tate's slot shoes any time soon, but his 8 targets provided solid evidence that he's the team's top wideout going forward.
Kenny Golladay didn't have the big breakout many were expecting, but he still caught 3 passes for 46 yards and even added a carry for another 8 yards. It was disappointing that he only drew 4 targets on a day when Stafford threw 36 times, but with such a large share of the team's targets becoming available, we should see better things from the second-year wideout in the future.
The Lions did not have a great time on Sunday without Tate, but Tate's departure has opened up an opportunity for fantasy production for the rest of the Lions' pass-game weapons. Riddick, Jones and Golladay are all on the map as fantasy starters going forward.