For Matthew Stafford, it's hard to image 2015 being any more of a roller coaster ride than it has been. Stafford and the Detroit Lions had gotten off to a brutal 0-4 start before a home game against the Arizona Cardinals. To that point, Stafford put together a total of five touchdowns against five interceptions, being the definition of mediocre.
Then came the turning point for Stafford it seems. In a 42-17 loss to the Cardinals, Stafford was benched after throwing his third interceptions, leading to analysts wondering if his time in Detroit was coming to a close in the near future.
So, how did the seven-year veteran respond to his benching? With what was by far his best performance of the season, complete with 405 passing yards, four touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 117.7. Best of all, Stafford led the Lions to a 37-34 overtime victory against the Chicago Bears in that game.
Stafford looked like a different quarterback in Week 6, hitting seven different receivers, while also helping to get star wide receiver Calvin Johnson back on track. Johnson caught six balls for 166 yards and one touchdown during the victory, making for his first 100-plus yard receiving game of the season.
The question now becomes, can fantasy owners trust Stafford moving forward in the season? Well, the Lions face the Vikings, Chiefs and Packers over their next three games. While the Chiefs have been easy pickings for opposing quarterbacks, both the Vikings and Packers will be a major test for Stafford. Time to take the wait-and-see approach for Detroit's signal caller.