Fantasy football teams, like the Detroit Lions, won't be sitting Calvin Johnson under any circumstances on Sunday, no matter who was lining up across from him. (Except for Calvin Johnson, maybe?) The St. Louis Rams' new secondary—Cortland Finnegan and Janoris Jenkins—isn't going to scare them off. But if you're within five points either way of the team you're about to play on Sunday and Johnson is your marquee name, it's worth keeping some things in mind:
1. The Rams' secondary is better than it was last year. At least, it'd better be. Last year the Rams' cornerbacks weren't very good and were even less healthy. This year the Rams' secondary is headed by a free agent cornerback with a five-year contract and a rookie who's this year's official Second Round Pick With Top Five Talent and who has, so far, stayed out of trouble.
2. The Lions might get out to an early lead. The good news is that Calvin Johnson would be a part of that early lead. The bad news is that that might end with the ball repeatedly ending up in Kevin Smith's hands, which is fine with me but maybe you didn't think Jersey Girl was as cromulent as I did.
3. So Calvin Johnson might have a good Calvin Johnson game, which is to say a great anybody-else game, but he is less likely than he might have been last season to single-handedly carry your team to victory.