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Golden Tate projection with Calvin Johnson doubtful

By Kevin Parvizi

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The Detroit Lions have officially listed Calvin Johnson as doubtful for this week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, and there’s just about no chance of him playing after aggravating an ankle injury last week. He could have easily missed a game already this season, and it would be incredibly imprudent for the Lions to risk him against the division’s worst team. The Vikings aren’t going to coil up and die this week, because, unlike their Thursday Night Football blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers, they will actually start a competent quarterback.

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    • Golden Tate roasted the New York Jets to the tune of eight receptions for 116 yards when Johnson was a decoy, and he was even better last week against the Buffalo Bills with seven receptions for 134 yards and a TD. Tate has been money through the first five weeks of the season, never catching less than five passes. Not only is he consistent, but he’s also capable of making big plays, as he averaged the most yards after the catch per reception in the league last season. That shouldn’t be taken lightly, and neither should his toughness, hands, ball skills, or versatility as a wide receiver.

    I’m not ready to declare Tate a No. 1-caliber receiver in this league, but it’s clear to me that he’s one of the best No. 2 receivers a team could ask for. Again, he can win just about anywhere on the field, and he’s already shown twice that he can help carry the Lions passing attack. He’ll do exactly that on Sunday against the Vikings, as they are one of the worst teams in the NFL at covering No. 1 receivers. With Johnson almost certainly unable to play, Tate would be the de facto No. 1 receiver.

    As long as he gets at least double-digit targets, I think Tate will be able to have a triple-digit receiving yardage day, and he should garner more than just ten targets as the focal point of the Lions passing attack. Even with the Seattle Seahawks, Tate was one of the league’s most efficient receivers, and his talent and efficiency have turned into more tangible production on a team that actually runs a passing offense.

    The Minnesota Vikings secondary has made improvements since last season, but they’re still pretty bad, even with Harrison Smith set to play after picking up an injury last week. Smith is a stud, but he’s also the only truly impressive player back there. Captain Munnerlyn has talent, but he’s been a bit of a disappointment to start his career with the Vikings. They should be thankful they most likely won’t have to face Megatron, but they should still have problems against Tate. Sheer projected volume dictates that Tate will have a strong day, but I also don’t see how they can stop him, unless if they focus too much on him. The Vikings can cover tight ends, but they have issues against running backs.

    With Johnson doubtful, the focus rests on Tate, and I don’t see why he would be a disappointment, especially if Matthew Stafford hits him up as much as I would expected him to. Harrison Smith is always a threat in deep coverage, but Tate works every route so well (underneath, intermediate-outside, deep) that he’ll find space and holes in the coverage wherever they may be.

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