Detroit Lions Team Preview for the 26/27 Fantasy Football Season

  • The DET offense finally looked human last season as the o-line went from elite to middle-of-the-pack.  They were still a great offense, but it wasn’t untouchable and while the overall number look solid (1st at RB in FPPG and 3rd at WR), they had a 42/58 run/pass split and went away from what made them so feared in the first place.  They scored 82 less points than the season before, won six less games and were 14th in rushing yards and 7th in rushing TDs despite Jahmyr Gibbs being healthy all season.  The good news is the DET brass realized they had slipped and got back to basics.  They retooled the o-line, not the least of which include first-round pick OT Blake Miller.  They essentially exchanged David Montgomery for Isaiah Pacheco, but the days of a RB timeshare are long gone and while Pacheco might vulture some rushing TDs, Gibbs is the clear-cut RB1 of the entire league (maybe RB1A with Bijan Robinson).  Gibbs is out of control, he finished as the RB3, played every game for the second straight season and averaged at least 5.0 YPC for the third straight season.  The only problem was Gibbs disappeared in fantasy playoff time, scoring zero rushing TDs over the final four weeks of the season.  He must have been playing hurt because it didn’t look like the same player from the first half of the season.  Gibbs also averaged under 4.0 in five of the last six games.  There’s nothing to worry about and taking Gibbs first over all is the best decision you can make for the floor and ceiling of your fantasy team.  The stat you will hear all summer is the Lions have the best schedule in the entire NFL and we saw what the Pats did last season with such a schedule.  As great as Gibbs is, he somehow pales in comparison to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who is the WR version of Josh Allen.  The most consistent player in fantasy who is not a must-draft player and honestly, taking him anywhere in the top-four is a great decision.  He’s been the WR3 in three straight seasons and while he doesn’t quite have that penthouse ceiling like Ja’Marr Chase does, it doesn’t matter because his consistency is his super power.  He was the WR1 in Week 15, had at least eight targets in every game after Week 4 (minus the Week 13 game he got hurt vs. GB) and has at least 1200 yards and double digit TDs in three straight seasons.  With so much recent volatility with superstar WRs, the safety net that St. Brown provides is invaluable.  There might be better WRs, there might be more explosive WRs, there might even be WRs on better offenses, but St. Brown is the gold standard and everyone else is playing for second. 

     

    Player most likely to beat ADP: Jameson Williams (ADP 51, WR25)

    WR is always deep and possibly the deepest its ever been, but this seems crazy.  Williams has b2b top-20 finishes and it’s not like the Lions brough in some extra receiving talent or Williams is getting old.  Sure, he’s the ultimate trick-or-treat WR and he could finish as the WR100 or WR1 in any given week.  That might sound nuts, but it’s not that far off.  Williams had eight top-15 finishes and seven outside the top-50.  He’s almost must-draft in Best Ball, but he’s still pretty great in redraft. 

    Player most likely to fade based on ADP:  Sam laPorta (ADP 85, TE7)

    It was only two seasons ago where LaPorta was on the cover of the Mosales 200, but he’s just not the same player he was as a rookie.  LaPorta might still be elite, but he’s not going to get the usage and is at best the fourth-best option on any given play. There are a handful of TEs with better upside that are going way past LaPorta. 

    Late-round Flier that could blow up: Isaac Teslaa (ADP ?, WR74)

    Teslaa is a TD machine and scored in four of the last six games.  His target share is closer to zero than 10%, but he’s got the talent and in this offense, you always want to take lottery tickets. 


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