Detroit Lions Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Lions traded up to the 24th spot in Round 1 of the NFL Draft to select CB Terrion Arnold. He spent just three years at Alabama, the past two as a starter. He snared 5 INTs as a junior. Arnold plays the wrong position to make a significant impact in most IDP dynasty leagues, though.

The Lions and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown have agreed to a 4-year extension worth "more than" $120 million with $77 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It makes St. Brown the NFL's highest-paid WR (at least for now). The 2021 fourth-rounder has steadily ascended to become one of the league's best WRs. He's improved his catches, receiving yards, receiving TDs, yards per target, and yards per route in each season. His 119-1,515-10 line last year made him the WR3 in PPR points. St. Brown sits fourth in our current dynasty WR rankings.

Ben Johnson will remain with the Lions as OC for the 2024 season, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Johnson had been a hot name in this year's coaching cycle and had been linked to Washington's still-open job. His return is excellent news for Detroit's offense. The Lions lead the NFL with 387 total yards per game and rank fourth with 26.9 points per game under Johnson over the past two seasons.

Lions TE Sam LaPorta (knee) is active for today's Divisional Round game vs. the Bucs. He suggested on Friday that his knee is feeling better now than it did last week. LaPorta still isn't at 100% but has plenty of fantasy upside vs. Tampa Bay's 27th-ranked TE defense.

Lions TE Sam LaPorta (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's Divisional Round game vs. the Bucs. He was limited in the final two practices of the week, but it sounds like that was part of a maintenance plan as he works back from that knee injury. "The trusting of my knee has progressed quite a bit," LaPorta said Friday. "Just reaching and planting for cuts. Certainly, the achiness has progressed. Just trying to make it feel better all week. Get the right amount of work but not too much at the same time." LaPorta still won't be at 100% on Sunday -- but he should be closer than he was for last week's win over the Rams.

Lions HC Dan Campbell said Wednesday that TE Sam LaPorta (knee) is "coming along" in his recovery from a Week 18 knee injury. "He's gotten better," Campbell added. "He feels better than he did this time last week. It's encouraging." LaPorta drew just three targets in the Wild Card win over the Rams. But he scored a TD, played 80% of the offensive snaps, and ran a route on 80% of pass plays. We'll track his practice participation this week, leading up to Sunday's game against the Bucs' 27th-ranked TE defense.

Lions TE Sam LaPorta (knee) is active for tonight's Wild Card game vs. the Rams. He'll reportedly play with a brace on that injured knee and probably won't be close to 100%. You're likely banking on a TD if you use LaPorta in fantasy football tonight.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that Lions TE Sam LaPorta (knee) is "trending in the right direction to play" vs. the Rams tonight. "Very limited in practice, LaPorta will likely wear a brace," Rapoport adds. LaPorta will certainly be at less than 100% and a strong candidate to be on a snap count if he does end up active for this one. We'll get Detroit's inactives around 6:45 pm ET tonight.

Lions TE Sam LaPorta (knee) was listed as a full participant in Friday's practice and is officially questionable for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Rams. He's obviously in much better shape than it seemed he'd be early in the week, although we're still skeptical that LaPorta will play on Sunday. If he does, it'll be at far less than 100%. We'll continue to keep you updated on his status. TE James Mitchell (hand) has been ruled out, so Detroit will be down to TE Brock Wright if LaPorta does not play.

Lions WR Jameson Williams (ankle) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. He's on track to return for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Rams. Williams reeled in 11 of 16 targets for 159 yards over his last three games and has a chance to pick up extra targets this weekend with TE Sam LaPorta out.

Lions TE Sam LaPorta (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. The team hasn't yet ruled him out for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Rams, but he's a major long shot to play in that one. James Mitchell replaced LaPorta as Detroit's lead TE last week.

Lions HC Dan Campbell said Monday that WR Jameson Williams (ankle, illness) should be "good to go" for this weekend's Wild Card game vs. the Rams. Williams was coming on before missing Week 18, catching 11 of 16 targets for 159 yards over the previous three games. He's taken on even more importance for the Lions offense with TE Sam LaPorta likely out at least this week.

Lions HC Dan Campbell said Monday that there's an "outside chance" that TE Sam LaPorta (knee) plays vs. the Rams on Sunday. The rookie has reportedly been diagnosed with a hyperextended knee and a bone bruise. National insiders and medical experts that we trust believe that LaPorta will miss at least one game, if not more. We'll track his progress throughout the week but will start off projecting him to miss Sunday's game.

Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs totaled 13 carries for 30 rushing yards and a TD in Week 18 vs. the Vikings. Though the rookie ultimately fell short of the 1,000 rushing yard mark in 2023, he posted tremendous numbers as a pass-catcher. Gibbs finishes the season ranked seventh in targets (71), tied for eighth in receptions (52), and 16th in receiving yards (316) among all RBs. His combination of rushing and receiving acumen in Detroit’s high-powered offense makes a very strong case for Gibbs to be considered among the elite RBs in dynasty formats entering his age-22 season in 2024.

Lions QB Jared Goff completed 23 of 32 passes for 320 yards with 2 TDs in Week 18’s win vs. the Vikings. The veteran finishes the season ranked first among QBs in passing yards (4,575), fourth in passing TDs (30), and ninth (min. 100 attempts) in passer rating (97.9). Goff will enter 2024 in the final year of his contract at the age of 30, but the way that he and the Lions’ offense have thrived over the past few seasons gives him a reasonably good chance of sticking around in Detroit long-term. Those looking for a bargain QB2 option in dynasty should consider acquiring Goff this offseason.

Lions TE Sam LaPorta has been diagnosed with a hyperextended knee and a bone bruise, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "He’s likely to miss some time, but as coach Dan Campbell said, not as bad as it could’ve been," Rapoport adds. We'll look for a more concrete timeline for LaPorta's return, but expect him to miss at least next weekend's Wild Card game. Detroit does not have a legitimate replacement on the roster. TEs James Mitchell and Brock Wright have combined for 56 career catches.

Here's what Lions HC Dan Campbell said about TE Sam LaPorta's knee injury after Sunday's win over the Vikings: "It’s not as bad as it looked, but it’s not good news. We’ll know more tomorrow." It certainly sounds like LaPorta is in serious danger of missing time. We should get an update on his status within the next 24 hours. LaPorta's absence would obviously be a huge blow to Detroit heading into the playoffs.

Lions TE Sam LaPorta suffered an apparent left knee injury in the second quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Vikings. He eventually made his way off the field under his own power but headed straight into the blue medical tent. We'll update LaPorta's status when we know more.

Update: LaPorta is officially questionable to return.

Update: LaPorta has been downgraded to out.

Lions WR Jameson Williams (ankle, illness) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Vikings. We’ll see if he can make it back for next week’s Wild Card game. Williams’ absence will free up some snaps for WRs Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond, and Donovan Peoples-Jones.

Lions HC Dan Campbell said Monday that he plans to play his starters in this weekend's regular-season finale vs. the Vikings. Detroit has won the NFC North, can't drop lower than the No. 3 seed in the NFC, and can only climb to No. 2 with a win plus a Cowboys loss to the Commanders and an Eagles loss to the Giants. "We want to use this as fuel," Campbell said. "I’ve got pure octane right now. I woke up and I’m ready, so we’re moving forward.” There's still some risk that the Lions pull key starters at some point during this game, especially if Dallas and Philadelphia have big leads. But we'll be projecting the starters for at least close to normal workloads in the Week 18 Rankings.