Golden Tate Preseason Preview
Fantasy Upside
In his second season as a Lion, Golden Tate again finished with a team-high in receptions, as he collected 90 grabs for over 800 yards and six TDs. In Detroit, he’s caught 189 balls for over 2,100 yards and 10 scores. With the retirement of Calvin Johnson, Tate has the best rapport with Matthew Stafford and is in line for a big year. When Johnson missed four games in ’14, Stafford looked Golden’s way 49 times, leading to 31 catches for 483 yards and three TDs, one of the best stretches of Tate’s career. He’s versatile, having missed just one game the past five seasons.
Fantasy Downside
Despite the good finish for the Lions last season, their offense is getting a bit of an overhaul in ’15. Look for a bigger commitment to the running attack, which could limit Golden’s opportunities. Despite being targeted 128 times last season, he did not have a 100-yard game.
Bottom Line
Golden is primed for another big season and this time he won’t be under the shadow of Megatron. He has breakaway speed and has been great as a short-to-intermediate route-runner that can make defenders miss. Even with a change in offense, Stafford thrived under new-OC Jim Bob Cooter during the second half of last season and it’s tough to imagine things taking too much of a drop off, even without one of the best WRs of all time. Golden is a special talent and won’t be on the draft boards for long, especially in PPR formats.