Lions Fantasy Football Preview: Jared Goff, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and More

Let’s knock off another NFL team fantasy football preview.

We’ve looked at the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers so far and will be discussing the Detroit Lions now.

Check back soon for more team previews. Of course, things will change between now and the start of the season, and FantasySP will cover any major changes when those happen.

Get ready for draft season! Practice Mock Drafts, check out ADPs and get advice for trades with our trade analyzer.

Jared Goff Fantasy Outlook

Goff might not be in the spotlight all that often, but he’s a more than capable fantasy quarterback.

In 17 games last season, Goff completed 407 of his 605 passes for 4,575 yards, 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He added 21 rushing yards and three scores on 32 attempts.

Goff has thrown for over 4,400 yards and 29 scores in back-to-back seasons now, yet is still undervalued as a fantasy player. The Detroit offense is very similar to a season ago, but with a year more experience together, so I’m expecting another big season out of Goff.

Goff finished as QB8 for fantasy purposes last season, but is being taken as QB13 right now, and around pick 104. I’m higher on Goff than a couple of quarterbacks being taken before him, and think Goff would be a major draft steal if you can get him near his current ADP. Target Goff if you would rather spend your early picks on receivers, running backs and tight ends.

Running Back Fantasy Outlooks

The Lions have maybe the best 1-2 running back punch in the league. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery form the duo. Craig Reynolds is a backup option, as is fourth-round pick Sione Vaki. Gibbs and Montgomery will eat up almost all the snaps and touches if they are healthy though.

In 14 games in his first season in Detroit, Montgomery had 1,015 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 219 carries. He caught 16 of his 24 targets for 117 receiving yards and no scores.

Gibbs was great in his rookie season, rushing for 945 yards and 10 scores on 182 attempts across 15 games. He caught 52 of his 71 targets for 316 yards and a score as a pass catcher. 

Reynolds appeared in 17 games, but only had 226 total yards and a touchdown on 46 touches. Reynolds had 126 rushing yards across two games, so he was barely a factor outside two weeks.

Vaki was a two-way player with Utah in college. He’s primed to be used as a running back, at least that’s what all reports tell us. He’s likely a couple injuries away from serving a big role outside of special teams.

Gibbs is being taken as RB4 and going around pick 10 so far in fantasy drafts. Montgomery is RB19 and going around pick 60. The team’s other backs are off the fantasy radar outside extremely deep leagues.

Gibbs has a ton of hype surrounding him going into his sophomore season. He was RB9 last season, so to now be taken in the top 10 is a big ask, especially with another good running back on the team. I’m one of the believers in Gibbs and think he lives up to the draft hype, but I would definitely not feel super confident going into the season if he was my first pick.

I view Montgomery as a big-time draft steal at his current ADP. He was RB18 last season despite missing a few games. I think there’s a good chance he outscores a few of the backs taken before him, and should be startable for most of the season. I’m all for taking Montgomery near his ADP. 

I’d avoid any other Detroit backs. They’d probably only become fantasy relevant if Gibbs and Montgomery went down, and that’s not a great way to approach a fantasy draft, so I’d view Reynolds and Vaki as waiver wire options.

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlooks

Amon-Ra St. Brown will lead the Detroit wide receivers this season. Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond are also back from last season. The backups aren’t as known, with Antoine Green, Daurice Fountain and Tom Kennedy are the projected backups as of now.

St. Brown played in 16 games a season ago, hauling in 119 of his 164 targets for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns. His yardage has gone up nearly 300 yards per season in his first couple NFL years, while last season his touchdown total jumped from six (in his first two seasons).

Williams hasn’t gotten a full season in yet, but has shown flashes of brilliance. In 12 games last season, Williams had 354 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 24 receptions and 42 targets. He had 29 rushing yards and a touchdown on three attempts as well.

Raymond appeared in 17 games for Detroit last season, catching 35 of his 44 targets for 489 yards and a touchdown. He had seven rushing attempts for 75 yards.

Green appeared in nine games last season, catching one of his two targets for two yards. Fountain hasn’t played much since entering the league in 2018. Kennedy played in seven games with the Lions last season, making eight grabs on 15 targets for 141 yards and no scores. In other words, if St. Brown, Williams or Raymond go down, the Lions’ offense might be in a little bit of trouble.

St. Brown is the receiver to own in Detroit. He’s WR5 and going around pick eight. 

ARSB has proven year after year to be a reliable fantasy option, and there’s no reason to expect differently this season. I’m comfortable taking him in the first round and relying on him to be my top fantasy WR.

Williams does not appear in our ADP list, but should be an option late in standard drafts for fantasy owners. I’d only take a gamble on him if you feel really good about your drafting early on, otherwise I’d view Williams as a waiver wire/streaming option. He’s a player to target in deeper leagues and some dynasties and could start often depending on your league settings.

Raymond is only a fantasy option in deeper leagues, and I’d view him as a backup instead of a starting option. The rest of the Lions’ wideouts can really be avoided in any format.

Tight End Fantasy Outlooks

The lack of depth at receiver is offset by tight end Sam LaPorta, who is one of the best options at his position. Brock Wright is his top backup right now.

LaPorta played in 17 games as a rookie, making 86 grabs on 120 targets for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is likely to finish only behind St. Brown in yardage, and could lead the team in touchdown grabs.

Wright played in 14 games with the Lions a season ago. He hauled in 13 of his 14 targets for 91 yards and a score. Wright has 424 yards and seven scores across his three NFL seasons, but will play limited snaps behind LaPorta most likely.

LaPorta is TE1 in fantasy drafts so far, going around pick 22 (three picks before Travis Kelce). It’s a very early pick to spend on a tight end, but LaPorta isn’t like the typical fantasy TE - he’ll outscore some team’s No. 1 WRs. He was a top-30 fantasy performer in PPR leagues last season and should be even better this season. 

I’m all for taking LaPorta around his ADP, as long as you are confident you can draft well around him. Take proven receivers, running backs and quarterbacks instead of relying on possible breakout players.

Wright isn’t on the fantasy radar in standard leagues, but could have some value in deep leagues, especially if you got LaPorta early. I’d prefer to leave Wright on the waiver wire, as his only fantasy relevance would likely come if LaPorta misses time.