TE Jesse James - Detroit Lions

6-7, 261

Born: 6-4-1994

College: Penn State

Drafted: Round 5, pick 2015

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Photo: Mark J. Rebilas, US Presswire

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Week 14: at Minnesota Vikings

All TE vs MIN

FBG says: Tough matchup. The Detroit Lions, now on their third starting quarterback of the season, enter week 14 with a long week of rest to build an offense around David Blough following a close Thanksgiving Day loss to the Chicago Bears. Detroit's impressive passing numbers this season are a product of Matthew Stafford's strong 2019 campaign, but without him, they mean very little moving forward. The Lions' passing attack should continue to be a high-volume unit, as they project to play from behind once again this weekend, which bodes well for the offense's raw totals, and Blough's overperformance (relative to expectation) in his debut could foster a surprisingly-strong fantasy environment for a select few Detroit pass-catchers. Blough, as many backup quarterbacks do, relied heavily upon his proverbial safety blankets through the air, peppering tight end T.J. Hockenson and slot receiver Danny Amendola with 11 and 8 targets, respectively. Both players run primarily short and intermediate routes. While Hockenson is out for the season, Danny Amendola may continue to see increased usage with the rookie under center. Logan Thomas should slot into the lineup for T.J. Hockenson, although he projects for very little usage through the air in this offense. Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, Jr. are the team's two most talented receivers, and while Golladay continued to command his high-value deep targets, Jones, Jr. saw little action with Blough at the helm. Exercise caution with this unit, as there is very little data about the receivers' usage with rookie David Blough at quarterback thus far. Minnesota's pass defense grades as a solid unit, ranking in the top third of the NFL in almost every meaningful category this season. As they have played with a lead for most of their 8-4 start to the year, the Vikings have defended the 9th-most pass attempts of any team in the league, allowing just 6.1 net yards per attempt, the 12th-best mark in the NFL. The Vikings field a deep unit of capable pass defenders, aside from one glaring weakness at cornerback. On the defensive line, Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter make up one of the strongest edge-rushing pairs in the league. Then, at the back-end of the defense, Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith, two of the league's best pass-defending safeties, do their best to mask the team's weakness at cornerback. Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes have been horrific in coverage this season, allowing 4 100-yard receivers over the team's last 4 games, and there is no reason to believe they'll right the ship anytime soon. This weekend, taking on one of the league's best wide receiver duos in Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, Jr., the Vikings' weak cornerbacks will be put to the test. With a backup quarterback at the helm, expectations for Detroit's passing attack should be tempered in Week 14, as they take on a generally-strong pass defense with the one glaring weakness.

Recent Stats and Projections

WEEK	OPP		oSNAP	REC	YD	TD	FumL	Pts
10	at CHI		28	0.0	0	0	0	0
11	vs DAL		15	0.0	0	0	0	0
12	at WAS		32	1.0	7	0	0	0.7
13	vs CHI		27	0.0	0	0	0	0
14	at MIN	PROJ-Dodds	*	1.6	*	*	*	*
14	at MIN	PROJ-Tremblay	*	2.6	*	*	*	*
14	at MIN	PROJ-Bloom	*	1.0	*	*	*	*