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.
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown tallied 6 catches for 90 receiving yards and a TD in Week 17 vs. the Cowboys. Saturday’s contest marks the tenth game this season in which the third-year wideout cleared at least 90 yards in a game. For context, St. Brown had only recorded four such games in each of his prior two seasons (eight in total). He ends the 2023 fantasy season with a career-high average of 20.2 PPR points per game and has given managers no reason to question his standing as a top-tier dynasty asset entering the new year. See where he lands among fellow wideouts in our current dynasty rankings.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta hauled in 7 of 12 targets for 84 receiving yards in Week 17’s loss vs. the Cowboys. Though the primetime contest didn’t end in Detriot’s favor, the rookie’s pass-catching efforts made history. LaPorta tied the rookie TE reception record of 81 set by Eagles TE Keith Jackson in 1988 on Saturday and has a good chance to stand alone with just one more catch in Week 18 vs. the Vikings. It’s also worth noting that his average of 14.1 PPR points per game this season ranks first among rookie TEs over the past ten seasons. If you have any doubts about LaPorta entering the 2024 season, don’t. He is firmly entrenched as our dynasty TE2 and should be considered as an early-round pick in season-long formats next year.
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.
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