Matthew Stafford officially out for Week 12

The Detroit Lions are back at practice, and to nobody’s surprise, head coach Matt Patricia told the media that quarterback Matthew Stafford is officially out for Week 12 against Washington. Jeff Driskel will get his third straight start while Stafford continues rehabbing his back fracture.

Fantasy football analysis: Lions QBs Matthew Stafford, Jeff Driskel

If you have Stafford in your fantasy league, it’s hard to see him coming back for you this season. The Lions are not eliminated from the playoffs, but at 3-6-1, they’re not going to turn this thing around. Even if they beat Washington this week, they’ll be at best three or so games out of the second wild card spot with five weeks remaining.

Driskel is not a quality passer, but he is quietly building some interesting fantasy football value. In his debut against Chicago, he threw for 269 yards with one touchdown and one interception and scrambled for 37 yards to finish with 17.6 traditional fantasy points and 19.06 DraftKings fantasy points. Last week against Dallas, he threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns and scrambled for 51 yards and a rushing touchdown to finish with 27.5 traditional fantasy points and 27.46 DKFP.

I’m not saying Driskel is a must start against a mediocre Washington defense, but his past two weeks performances get my spidey sense tingling. Scrambling quarterbacks are a bit undervalued in fantasy, and with Kerryon Johnson sidelined, Driskel is going to get plenty of opportunities to run with the ball. He’s available in most traditional fantasy leagues and is available for $5,500 at DraftKings.

There’s some serious value there in DFS. It would take some stones to start him in traditional fantasy leagues, but don’t overlook him.