2016 Fantasy Football Team Preview: Detroit Lions

 

2015 Fantasy Recap

The Detroit Lions had a rough 2015 campaign only winning seven games. The worst part about last season, though, was the fact that Detroit fans and fantasy enthusiasts saw the end of an era. Calvin Johnson decided to retire rather than return for his tenth season for the Lions. Overall, the team’s fantasy production was rather inconsistent and absolutely awful at times. Detroit’s running game was terrible in 2015, ranking last in yardage per game, making for a long season for veteran signal caller Matthew Stafford. Overall, this Lions squad will have to revamp it’s offense in 2016 if they want to be a formidable foe in the NFC North.

Key Additions and Losses

Additions:

• Marvin Jones
• Stevan Ridley

Losses:

• Calvin Johnson

QuarterBack Fantasy Outlook

For years, this Lions offense has been a pass-heavy one with Stafford slinging the ball all over the field. Well, this year will be a different story after the departure of Calvin Johnson. In 2015, Stafford completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 4,262 yards, 32 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The true question is whether or not he can handle the Lions’ huddle without his go-to receiving option. If Stafford can successfully utilize his talented group of receiving options he might just be a late-round flyer, who pays off big-time for us fantasy owners.

One key thing that I like about Stafford is his fantasy playoff schedule. During that time, he’ll face off against the Bears, Giants and Cowboys, who don’t really have insanely talented defenses. Also, there are a few weeks throughout the season where I could see him being a nice bye week fill in. For example, I nabbed Drew Brees in our GF2 writer’s league this season and grabbed Stafford to back him up for Week 5. That week, the Lions will be taking on the Eagles, so I feel like that could be a great time to stream him. In 2015, Stafford finished with roughly 289.8 fantasy points, which is close to what I’m projecting for him this year.

Grade: C+

 Running Back Fantasy Outlook

Like I said earlier, this Lions running game was atrocious last season, so hopefully, they can figure out what to do with their young backs in 2016. With Joique Bell now out of the picture, both Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick must step up for Detroit. As of right now, it’s looking like Abdullah will be the starter for his squad, receiving the first and second down work. In his rookie season, Abdullah rushed the ball 143 times for 597 yards and two touchdowns for Detroit. He also caught 25 balls on 38 targets for 183 yards and a score as well. I do think that Abdullah is a dual-threat running back but the Lions just didn’t utilize him to his utmost potential last year.

On passing downs, you guys will most likely see a heavy dosage of Riddick, who has the ability to be a stellar PPR running back. In 2015, he caught 80 balls on 99 targets for 697 yards and three touchdowns. On the flip side, Riddick only rushed the ball 43 times for 133 yards for the Lions in 2015. If you’re playing in a standard scoring league, he has very little value for you guys, so keep that in mind when drafting.

Grade: C-

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlook

I don’t really know what to feel about this Lions receiving group… The loss of Megatron is almost crippling but they’ve done a great job of bringing in plenty of nice names to surround Stafford with. Golden Tate will obviously be the first option for Detroit and has shown moments of brilliance in the past. For example, anytime over the last few years that Johnson was hurt, Tate flourished as the number one guy. In 2015, Tate caught 90 receptions on 128 targets for 813 yards and six touchdowns. I personally think that his yardage total will be well over 1,000 yards this year.

One new key addition to this Lions team is Marvin Jones. Jones spent his time with the Bengals over the last few years and is chomping at the bit to be the next big thing in the NFL. Last season, he caught 65 balls on 103 targets for 816 yards and four touchdowns. Both Tate and he had very similar numbers overall, so I’m intrigued to see how it eventually balances out in the long run. Other less notable receiving options for Detroit consist of Andre Caldwell, Andre Roberts and Jeremy Kerley.

Grade:  B-

Tight End Fantasy Outlook

I’ve been excited about Detroit’s young tight end Eric Ebron over the last two seasons but he just hasn’t been near as productive as I’d hoped. In 2015, Ebron caught 47 passes on 70 targets for 537 yards and five touchdowns in eight starts. I do see a lot more red-zone targets coming his way this season with the departure of Johnson, so his touchdowns could see an increase in 2016. Ebron is a big-bodied stud of an athlete that if utilized right could really make a difference for our fantasy rosters. If you do intend to draft him, make sure it’s toward the end of your draft as a late-round flyer.

Grade: C-

Defensive Fantasy Outlook

The return of DeAndre Levy should give this defensive line a nice boost this season. Players such as Tahir Whitehead, Josh Bynes and Ezekiel Ansah all make up a group of one of the best front-sevens in the league. I feel like there will be a ton of sack and forced fumble opportunities among this talented Detroit defensive line this season so that always a plus.

The one key part of this Lions defense that is sketchy is their secondary. Yes, Darius Slay has slowly progressed over the last few years to be a nice option at cornerback for Detroit but he can’t do it all by himself. Glover Quin showed in 2014 that he does have the ability to be a game changer but vastly underperformed last season and Nevin Lawson was a terrible option at cornerback for his squad. Overall, I expect the Lions to be within the Top-15 best fantasy defenses in 2016, mostly based on their defensive line and schedule.

Grade: C+

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