Detroit Lions Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Lions WR Jameson Williams set career highs with 7 targets and 4 receptions in Saturday night's win over the Broncos. They produced just 47 yards for a non-descript fantasy outing. But Williams' 72.2% route rate also marked a career high. That continued a positive trend for the second-year wideout since the bye. Williams' rate dipped to 48.7% in Week 14. But before that he had topped 60% in three straight games. His 54.6% coming off the Week 9 bye was also a season high to that point, following rates below 50% in three of his first four appearances this season. Williams now has just one career game with more than 2 receptions and has never put up more than 53 receiving yards in a game. So this isn't enough to make him a Week 16 starter in most fantasy football leagues. But the former 12th overall pick might be cheaply available in dynasty leagues without trade deadlines, given the still-disappointing production vs. his draft capital. Williams will be just 23 when his third NFL season begins.

Lions TE Sam LaPorta scored 3 TDs in Saturday night's blowout win over the Broncos. We obviously can't expect production near that level most of the time. But LaPorta's 5 TDs over the past four games have all come on red-zone targets, including three from inside the 10-yard line. Half of his red-zone targets for the season have come in that span, including six of his seven looks from inside the 10. QB Jared Goff, meanwhile, has seen increased passing volume in that area over the past five games. That span includes his only two contests with at least 5 attempts from inside the 10-yard line. The Lions get not-easy matchups with Minnesota and Dallas the next two weeks. But neither reaches the level of being a scary fantasy-scoring matchup. And the Cowboys (in Week 17) have been a positive matchup for TE scoring. Of course, you probably don't need a reason to keep LaPorta in your fantasy football lineup the rest of the way.

Lions QB Jared Goff threw for a season-low 161 yards in Sunday's loss to the Bears. That came a week after he threw for 213 against the Saints, in what was his second-lowest yardage output of the year to that point. The issue then was a season-low 25 pass attempts. Goff's performance was otherwise good (2 TDs, 8.5 yards per attempt). Goff's primary issue Sunday might have been the matchup. His worst Pro Football Focus passing grade of the season entering Week 14 came in the Week 11 meeting with the Bears. You might want to blame playing on the road as well, but that hasn't been an issue for Goff this season. He entered Sunday averaging 273.7 passing yards per game at home vs. 274.3 on the road (7.75 YPA home, 7.55 road). His final three fantasy weeks find matchups that have been fairly neutral for QB scoring, and all in places that won't have weather issues (home, at Minnesota, at Dallas). Expect to find Goff around the bottom of QB1 territory in our weekly rankings the rest of the way.

The box score says RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery split work evenly in Sunday's Lions loss at Chicago. Gibbs carried 11 times (for 66 yards and a TD) to 10 for Montgomery (66 yards). His 4 targets led Montgomery by just one, while the pair each caught three passes. But Gibbs played 41 snaps to Montgomery's 23, according to Pro Football Focus. Nearly all of that edge came in the passing game, with Gibbs running 24 routes to Montgomery's 8. What's that mean? You shouldn't trust those 3 Montgomery receptions. It marked the first time this season that Montgomery has caught more than two passes and just the second time he has drawn more than 2 targets. You should also expect Gibbs to get more playing time when Detroit plays from behind. That game script wasn't predictable for a contest the Lions entered as 3-point favorites Sunday. We also wouldn't bet on Denver jumping well ahead of Detroit in Week 15 or Minnesota doing so in Week 16. But a Week 17 visit to Dallas will likely find the Lions as underdogs. Both RBs should be solid fantasy options for the next two weeks. Week 17 figures to find Gibbs well ahead of Montgomery in our rankings.

Lions LB Alex Anzalone put in a full week of practice and doesn't appear on the final injury report ahead of Sunday's game against the Bears. That means he's ready to return after missing Week 13 with a hand injury. Anzalone's return should decrease the playing time for rookie LB Jack Campbell, who got a boost with Anzalone out. Campbell did notch 9 tackles (5 solo) on just 61% playing time in the Week 11 meeting with the Bears but shouldn't be central to your Week 14 IDP plans. Check our Week 14 LB rankings to see where both Lions LBs land.

Lions LB Alex Anzalone is doubtful for Sunday's game against the Saints with a hand injury that kept him out of practice all week. He hurt the hand late in the Thanksgiving loss to the Packers. DC Aaron Glenn said Friday that LB Jack Campbell will take over the MLB role and call plays in the defensive huddle. That gives Campbell significant fantasy upside, especially in a game that could find RB Alvin Kamara leading New Orleans in receiving. We've boosted Campbell into LB2 territory of our Week 13 IDP rankings.

The Lions continued to split backfield work between RBs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs in Week 12. Montgomery beat the rookie 2-0 in goal line carries, leading to a 6-yard score up the gut. Overall, Montgomery out-carried Gibbs 15-11, with Gibbs continuing to lead the way in the passing game (8 targets). Struggles from QB Jared Goff -- as well as one drop -- limited Gibbs' impact to 4 catches for 19 yards. Week 13 turns up a tough date at New Orleans, followed by plus matchups against Chicago and Denver. Overall, we're not changing our outlook for this backfield.

Lions RB David Montgomery out-carried Jahmyr Gibbs 12-8 in Week 11. Each RB finished with 14 opportunities. Both scored goal line TDs, while the low volume can be traced to poor game flow. Surprisingly, the Lions faced a 6+ point deficit for most of the second half. A strong rest-of-season schedule keeps both RBs as top-15 options moving forward. Next up is a home matchup with Green Bay.

Lions QB Jared Goff threw for 236 yards, 2 TDs and 3 INTs in Sunday’s comeback win over Chicago. Goff struggled for most of the afternoon before leading a pair of TD drives late in the fourth quarter. His scores went to Jameson Williams (32 yards) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (7 yards). Goff's rest-of-season schedule looks neutral, with only one truly favorable matchup (at Chicago, Week 14) remaining. On the plus side: Goff also has just one outdoor matchup left on the schedule.

Lions QB Jared Goff won a 41-38 duel over QB Justin Herbert and the Chargers in Week 10. Detroit's running game was dominant in this one, with RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery racking up 193 yards and three TDs. But Goff was excellent when called upon, completing 23 of 33 passes (69.7%) for 333 yards (10.1 YPA), two TDs, and 0 INTs. His first TD came on a screen to WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. But the second was a perfectly thrown pass down the seam to TE Brock Wright from 25 yards out. The Lions remain a run-centric offense, but OC Ben Johnson has the entire unit cooking, giving Goff plenty of weekly upside. He has the 10th easiest QB schedule from Weeks 11 to 17. And only one of those seven games has potential for bad weather (Week 14 in Chicago). Goff has a chance to score as a top-12 fantasy QB the rest of the way.

Lions RB David Montgomery had an awesome 75-yard TD run in the 41-38 Week 10 win over the Chargers. He made multiple defenders miss at the first and second levels -- and then flashed impressive speed to outrun the rest of the Chargers defense to the end zone. Unfortunately, that's the only positive we can take from Montgomery's Week 10. He totaled just 41 scoreless yards on his other 11 carries. Montgomery trailed RB Jahmyr Gibbs in carries (14 to 12) and targets (5 to 0). Gibbs even out-carried Montgomery four to two inside the Los Angeles 10-yard line. That's particularly worrisome considering 40% of Montgomery's PPR production this season has come via TDs. And five of his seven TDs have come from inside the 10. If Montgomery is going to split carries with Gibbs -- and cede most of the passing-game work -- he'll struggle to produce as more than a low-end RB2 the rest of the way. We'll see if this backfield usage continues in Week 11 against the Bears. That plus matchup should at least keep Montgomery in starting fantasy lineups.

Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs racked up 112 total yards and 2 TDs in the 41-38 Week 10 win over the Chargers. He looked as explosive as ever, ripping off five gains of 10+ yards. And Gibbs' usage was even more exciting than the fantasy production. The rookie out-carried RB David Montgomery 14-12 and out-targeted him 5-0. Gibbs even out-carried Montgomery 4-2 inside the Chargers' 10-yard line, punching in a pair of 1-yard TDs. One game does not make a trend, but we're expecting this type of backfield split to continue going forward. Gibbs has simply been awesome the past few games -- and the Lions did spend the 12th overall pick of this year's draft on him. If Gibbs can continue to get somewhere around 50% of the total carries and goal-line carries, while also dominating passing-down work, he'll have a good chance to score as a fantasy RB1 the rest of the way.

Buccaneers CB Carlton Davis (toe) is inactive for today's game against the Titans. Fellow starting CB Jamel Dean, however, has cleared the concussion protocol and will play. D-linemen Calijah Kancey (quad) and Logan Hall (groin) are active after hitting the day questionable.

Both Buccaneers starting outside CBs are questionable for Sunday's game against the Titans. HC Todd Bowles says Carlton Davis (toe) will be a game-time decision. Jamel Dean remains in the concussion protocol as of Saturday afternoon, though he progressed to a full Friday practice. We'll see about the status of both players heading into the game. Losing either would add upside to the Tennessee passing game. Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins already makes for a solid WR2 play across fantasy formats. Rookie QB Will Levis will be a boom/bust fantasy option in his third NFL start regardless of Tampa's specific defensive lineup. The CB injuries obviously add potential upside, though.

Lions RB David Montgomery (ribs) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final injury report for Sunday’s game vs. the Chargers. We’ll see exactly what this backfield looks like after RB Jahmyr Gibbs’ breakout Week 8. But there should be enough to go around for Montgomery and Gibbs vs. the Chargers’ 22nd-ranked RB defense.

Lions RB David Montgomery (ribs) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. It's confirmation that he's set to return for this weekend's game vs. the Chargers. We'll see exactly how touches are divvied between Montgomery and RB Jahmyr Gibbs, but both guys are strong fantasy plays vs. the Chargers' 22nd-ranked RB defense.

Lions HC Dan Campbell talked about his plans for the backfield now that RBs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are healthy again. “We know what David can do, but we know that Gibbs has gotten better every week, so we’re going to ask those guys to do the things they do well and that help our offense move the football,” Campbell said. “I don’t think, necessarily sitting here talking to you right now, that I see Gibbs getting 65 plays. I don’t see that. But he’s going to get his fair share now. We know what he can be and he’s growing. I think it’ll be a little bit by committee and make sure we get those guys their touches. Gibbs will get his touches.” It sure sounds like Gibbs has earned an increased role after his huge Week 8 performance. But we're still expecting Montgomery to handle the majority of the between-the-tackles and goal-line work. This offense and running game is good enough to support two weekly fantasy starters.

Lions HC Dan Campbell said Monday that it's "looking good" for RB David Montgomery (ribs) to return for this weekend's game vs. the Chargers. Montgomery missed Detroit's last two games with a rib cartilage injury. RB Jahmyr Gibbs played extremely well in his absence, ripping off 220 rushing yards on 6.0 yards per carry and catching 14 balls for 95 yards. Montgomery has been Detroit's clear lead back when healthy this season, though. Figuring out how touches will be distributed this Sunday will be a key to the Week 10 slate.

The Browns traded WR Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Lions in exchange for a sixth-round pick. Peoples-Jones turned in a promising 2022 season, catching 61 of 96 targets for 839 yards and three TDs. But he's been mostly invisible so far this year, totaling just eight receptions on 18 targets. He joins a Lions offense still searching for a consistent No. 2 WR behind Amon-Ra St. Brown. WR Josh Reynolds has been good in spurts this year, but WR Jameson Williams has continued to disappoint. We'll see what kind of role Peoples-Jones can carve out, but he's unlikely to emerge as a reliable fantasy option this season. The 24-year-old is set to hit free agency in March. The Browns, meanwhile, are left with WRs Marquise Goodwin, Cedric Tillman, and David Bell behind Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore.

Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown hauled 6 of 9 targets for a team-high 109 receiving yards in Week 8’s win vs. the Raiders. Monday night’s effort marks the third game in a row that St. Brown has exceeded 100 receiving yards and the fifth time overall this season. As dominant as he was, it was rookie TE Sam LaPorta who led the Lions with 10 targets in the contest. The first-year pass-catcher concluded the game with 8 catches for 57 yards and a TD. Unfortunately, fantasy managers will be without these superstars next week. The Lions will return from their bye in Week 10 to take on the Chargers.