Below you will find our 2018 fantasy football projections for the Detroit Lions.
Quarterbacks
| Player | Att. | Comp. | Yards | TD | INT | Rush | Yards | TD | FL | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Stafford | 551.2 | 363.2 | 4162 | 27 | 11 | 29 | 121.8 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 264.06 |
| Interestingly enough, Stafford's lone Pro Bowl season (2014) was the last time that he finished outside the top-10 fantasy quarterbacks. Not counting that QB15 finish in 2014, Stafford has finished as a top-12 fantasy quarterback in the other six of the past seven seasons. Part of that consistent production is aided by his durability (no missed games over past seven seasons) and the team's reliance on the passing game, but he actually set a seven-year low in pass attempts (565) in 2017. Even so, Stafford threw for 4,446 yards, a four-year high, and 29 touchdowns, tied for the third-most in his career. | ||||||||||
| Jake Rudock | 2.8 | 1.7 | 17 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.68 |
More Fantasy Football QB Resources:
- 2018 Fantasy Football QB Rankings
- 2018 Fantasy Football QB Strength of Schedule
- Fantasy Football Scoring Leaders - QBs
Running Backs
| Player | Att. | Yards | TD | Rec. | Yards | TD | FL | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerryon Johnson | 160.6 | 706.6 | 4.3 | 28.7 | 200.9 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 123.75 |
| Without a 100-yard rusher since Reggie Bush (2013, three times) and ranking last in rushing offense last year, the Lions traded up in the second round for Johnson. The SEC Offensive Player of the Year and conference rushing champion, Johnson rushed for 1,391 yards and scored 20 total touchdowns for Auburn last season. Ultimately, I expect Johnson to lead the backfield in production, but LeGarrette Blount will steal early-down work and goal-line opportunities while Theo Riddick will get plenty of work as the team's third-down back. | ||||||||
| LeGarrette Blount | 131.6 | 552.7 | 6.6 | 4.7 | 28.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 99.34 |
| Set to play for his third team in as many seasons, Blount is two years removed from leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns (18). Even though the Eagles ranked third in scoring offense last year, Blount had just two rushing touchdowns last season. That said, Blount's 18 touchdowns in 2016 occurred with the Patriots, where new Lions head coach Matt Patricia was defensive coordinator. | ||||||||
| Theo Riddick | 21.3 | 80.9 | 0.4 | 50.3 | 417.5 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 70.84 |
| With 50-plus catches in each of the past three seasons, Riddick has a total of 186 receptions during that span. Obviously, he has much more value in PPR formats. | ||||||||
| Ameer Abdullah | 36.8 | 150.9 | 0.9 | 7.8 | 55.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 27.03 |
| Abdullah led Detroit's backfield last season with 190 touches (165 carries and 25 receptions). While his 53-man roster status was once in doubt (and perhaps still is), Abdullah's roster spot appears safe(r) but he could be fourth in terms of volume in 2018. | ||||||||
| Zach Zenner | 5 | 15 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 |
More Fantasy Football RB Resources:
- 2018 Fantasy Football RB Rankings
- 2018 Fantasy Football RB Strength of Schedule
- Fantasy Football Scoring Leaders - RBs
Wide Receivers
| Player | Rec. | Yards | TD | Rush | Yards | TD | FL | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvin Jones | 60 | 1008 | 5.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 135 |
| Posting an NFL-high 18.0 Y/R in 2017, Jones had 61 receptions for a career-high 1,101 yards and nine touchdowns, one shy of his career best, despite a slow start (8/130/2 in first four games). Jones finished as fantasy's WR5 (WR11 in PPR) and he was WR4 (WR7 in PPR) from Week 5 on. | ||||||||
| Golden Tate | 86.2 | 956.8 | 5.2 | 3.9 | 19.5 | 0 | 0.8 | 127.23 |
| The eight-year veteran has spent half of his career in Detroit and he has 90-plus catches in each of those four seasons. In addition, he has 1,000-plus yards in three of four including back-to-back seasons. His lack of touchdown production -- 19 over four years in Detroit -- is a drawback, but he's a consistent receiver that gets a boost in PPR formats. | ||||||||
| Kenny Golladay | 48.8 | 800.3 | 5.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 113.43 |
| Golladay's best games as a rookie were his first (4/69/2) and his last (2/80/1), but he also missed five games in the middle of the season due to a hamstring injury. Even if a true breakout does not occur in 2018, Golladay has seen some reps in two-WR sets and Tate has said the following of the second-year receiver: "… I'm telling you, this guy can be dominant. He's a WR1 kind of guy." | ||||||||
| T.J. Jones | 20.7 | 287.7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 32.37 |
| Bradley Marquez | 3.1 | 24.8 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 3.28 |
More Fantasy Football WR Resources:
- 2018 Fantasy Football WR Rankings
- 2018 Fantasy Football WR Strength of Schedule
- Fantasy Football Scoring Leaders - WRs
Tight Ends
| Player | Rec. | Yards | TD | Rush | Yards | TD | FL | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke Willson | 24.5 | 240.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 35.81 |
| Michael Roberts | 17.9 | 188 | 1.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 27 |
| Levine Toilolo | 4.6 | 41.4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 6.74 |
| Hakeem Valles | 1.8 | 18.4 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 2.24 |
More Fantasy Football TE Resources:
- 2018 Fantasy Football TE Rankings
- 2018 Fantasy Football TE Strength of Schedule
- Fantasy Football Scoring Leaders - TEs
