For full player rankings (redraft/dynasty), eight printable cheat sheets, season projections, player analytics, and much more, join Fantasy Consigliere today. And if you find these write-ups helpful, we would recommend purchasing our 2024 fantasy football draft guide on Amazon to get our full thoughts and rankings all in one place—if you are on the fence, check out the free sample before purchasing.
Player Outlooks (2024)
QB Jared Goff: Last year, we called Goff perhaps the second-best quarterback in the NFC (behind Jalen Hurts), and he more than proved himself as a championship-caliber signal-caller by getting Detroit to the NFC Championship Game—and jumping out to a 17-point lead over the 49ers at halftime. The Lions unfortunately couldn’t finish the job, but they brought star offensive coordinator Ben Johnson back, want Jahmyr Gibbs more involved as a receiver, and are expecting Jameson Williams to have a big year in 2024, so Goff’s numbers could reach another level as a borderline QB1/QB2.
QB Hendon Hooker: The retirement of Teddy Bridgewater opens the door for Hooker as the No. 2 quarterback, and the system under Ben Johnson could make him an immediate streamer if he ever makes starts due to injury. At Tennessee, Hooker showed he can strike vertically and has a game reminiscent of Geno Smith, so the talent is worth stashing in dynasty formats for those with extreme patience.
RB Jahmyr Gibbs: The dynamic talent of Gibbs—who we loved coming out of Alabama—being almost instantly undeniable versus NFL competition erased the narrative that he wasn’t worth the No. 12 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and big things are expected for him this season as a key cog in Ben Johnson’s offense. David Montgomery is still around as another important piece for the Lions, but Gibbs is the type of running back that doesn’t need a large number of touches to slant a fantasy matchup. After 14 touchdowns in his final 14 games as a rookie (including playoffs), Gibbs should be a no-doubt first-round pick in redraft leagues.
RB David Montgomery: Montgomery was at least a leading contender for best fantasy value of 2023, and he proved to be a home-run signing by Detroit as a perfect early-down hammer to pair with Jahmyr Gibbs. Overall, Montgomery’s consistency was on another level in his first season with the Lions, and Gibbs’ emergence didn’t impact the floor of the former Chicago starter—who scored 13 touchdowns behind an elite offensive line. The ceiling is somewhat capped with Gibbs healthy, but Montgomery’s blend of contact balance, determination, vision, toughness, and reliability makes him a good bet for another 1,000+ total yards and double-digit scores.
RB Sione Vaki: The Lions targeting Vaki wasn’t a surprise at all, and them seeing him as a running back wasn’t a surprise either—as the former Utah safety showed extremely impressive feel for the position when used on offense, including soft hands as a pass-catcher. The real-life value will probably far exceed the fantasy value with Vaki seeing limited action, but it’s easy to imagine him ripping off chunk gains with the Lions getting him the ball in space.
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown: You could argue that no one in the league had a better offseason than St. Brown, as the Lions retaining Ben Johnson was eventually followed up by Detroit’s uber-productive weapon signing a four-year, $120-million extension. The Lions are very balanced with difference-makers at all three skill-positions, but things run through St. Brown, and that will remain the case coming off career-highs in targets (164), receptions (119), receiving yards (1,515), touchdowns (ten), yards per reception (12.7), and yards per target (9.2). Considering his floor and consistency, St. Brown is a borderline top-five option in all formats.
WR Jameson Williams: Dan Campbell said during OTAs that Williams “is a man on a mission” and the team’s most improved player of the spring, and Detroit is primed to finally unleash him after the former first-rounder—by his own admission—had some maturing to do early in his career. Previously, the Lions didn’t seem to have full trust in Jamo to be where he needs to be and run routes how they wanted them to be run, but he showed enough flashes to remain highly encouraged about reaching his potential, and now he’s set to be fully unleashed as an every-down player. Williams should be an upside WR3.
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones: Peoples-Jones only saw seven targets in eight games with the Lions last year, but he’ll have an entire offseason to acclimate himself to the offense, and Detroit losing Josh Reynolds clears the path for him to see meaningful snaps. DPJ had a 61/839/3 line with the Browns as a 23-year-old in 2022, so he’s certainly a name to monitor as an athletic, big-bodied target.
WR Kalif Raymond: The Lions have said that Raymond will have an important role for them in 2024, and he’s essentially a “shot” player with an ability to stretch the field for Jared Goff. Predicting when he will hit is basically impossible, though, so Raymond—after averaging 11.1 yards per target last season—will likely be worth starting only in the deepest of formats when bye weeks kick in.
WR Antoine Green: A seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Green is another downfield option, but he’d need to have a really strong summer to beat out Donovan Peoples-Jones for snaps. It is worth noting that general manager Brad Holmes said they are “really excited” about Green last month, so maybe he can force his way onto the field.
TE Sam LaPorta: LaPorta finished as the overall TE1 as a rookie, and especially with Ben Johnson back, there is certainly a case for him to rank atop the position this summer. The durability/toughness of LaPorta (who didn’t miss a game with what was supposed to be a multi-week knee injury last year) and Johnson’s ability to scheme things up in the red zone are huge positives, but the question will be if expected leaps for Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams might downgrade him just a bit on an offense that typically runs through Amon-Ra St. Brown.
TE Brock Wright: The Lions matched an offer sheet Wright signed with the 49ers for $12 million over three years, so they clearly value his contributions after season snap counts of 48%, 52%, and 44% over his first three seasons. Of course, Wright’s value comes primarily as a blocker, but coming away with a handful of scores is entirely possible in the Detroit offense.
TE James Mitchell: Playing time and targets have been sparce for Mitchell over the past two years, but he’s been efficient with his opportunities—catching all 13 of his targets for 141 yards and a touchdown. If Sam LaPorta were to ever miss time, Mitchell would be the favorite for the lead pass-catching role at the position and could draw TE2 consideration.
Other Notes
Best IDP value: CB Terrion Arnold
We love what the Lions did this offseason to rebuild the secondary, and Arnold will be competing with fellow rookie Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Amik Robertson—both of whom we are also high on—for snaps across from veteran Carlton Davis. The versatility of Arnold as a former safety should get him on the field one way or another, and he could immediately be a playmaker anywhere in the secondary after five interceptions last year at Alabama.
Stat to know (via draft guide)
Excluding a Week 6 win in which he left early, David Montgomery scored double- digit fantasy points in 12-of-13 games last season, and he scored 9.2 fantasy points in the other game.