When Calvin Johnson was sidelined or starting-but-severely-hobbled in 2014, Matthew Stafford averaged 267 passing yards and 1.6 TDs per game. When Calvin was healthy, Stafford averaged 266 passing yards and 1.3 TDs per game. So we can’t simply blame Stafford’s struggles (only 22 passing TDs and his lowest passing yardage output since his injury-shortened 2010 season) on Megatron’s health. The Lions were 29th in the league in YPC (3.6) and yielded the fourth most sacks (45). Offenses rarely click with such ugly numbers.
So Detroit invested a first round draft pick on left guard Laken Tomlinson. They now have perhaps the youngest offensive line in the NFL—one that’s getting better thanks, in part, to the one characteristic it lacks: experience. Add to that improved backfield personnel and a healthy receiving tandem that ranks among the league’s best, and it’s easy to imagine the Lions offense bouncing back in 2015.
Stafford’s #11 QB ADP is conservative. I’m eyeing him as a top 7 performer with upside. At his current price, I want him on my fantasy team, period. The same goes for Calvin Johnson, whose #5 WR ADP also doesn’t do him justice; he’s a top 3 WR on my draft board, having amassed 1,077 yards and eight scores—good for 14th among all fantasy WRs—despite missing three games and serving as a decoy in two others. Still only 29 years old, he’ll return first round value.
Golden Tate’s WR ADP (now #24) makes him a bit overrated. He scored only 56 fantasy points in the second half of the season—coinciding with the return of Calvin Johnson. Projected over a full season, that would give him 112 points, which would have made him #33 among fantasy WRs last year. Is he a potential WR2? Sure. Is he a likely WR2? No, because his TDs won’t come easily.
Despite pedestrian back-to-back 3.9 YPC seasons, Joique Bell (#28 RB ADP) would be a decent get if not for the arrival of rookie Ameer Abdullah (#32 RB ADP). My hunch is that by August, Abdullah will be the first Lion RB off the board in most leagues. It’s too early to know how involved he’ll be in the offense or whether he’ll reach RB2 levels. But with Bell recovering from surgeries on his knee and Achilles’, Abdullah will get every opportunity to earn his playing time.
The other player to watch is Theo Riddick, who Fantasy Pros’ composite of experts lists as the 63rd best fantasy RB. Where will he fit into this backfield? With an impressive 316 yards and four TDs on 34 receptions last year, will he once again be the fourth (or even third) most targeted receiving option? Will he qualify as an RB and a WR, creating some useful roster flexibility, especially in PPR leagues? We’ll know more in the coming weeks. . . .
So Detroit invested a first round draft pick on left guard Laken Tomlinson. They now have perhaps the youngest offensive line in the NFL—one that’s getting better thanks, in part, to the one characteristic it lacks: experience. Add to that improved backfield personnel and a healthy receiving tandem that ranks among the league’s best, and it’s easy to imagine the Lions offense bouncing back in 2015.
Stafford’s #11 QB ADP is conservative. I’m eyeing him as a top 7 performer with upside. At his current price, I want him on my fantasy team, period. The same goes for Calvin Johnson, whose #5 WR ADP also doesn’t do him justice; he’s a top 3 WR on my draft board, having amassed 1,077 yards and eight scores—good for 14th among all fantasy WRs—despite missing three games and serving as a decoy in two others. Still only 29 years old, he’ll return first round value.
Golden Tate’s WR ADP (now #24) makes him a bit overrated. He scored only 56 fantasy points in the second half of the season—coinciding with the return of Calvin Johnson. Projected over a full season, that would give him 112 points, which would have made him #33 among fantasy WRs last year. Is he a potential WR2? Sure. Is he a likely WR2? No, because his TDs won’t come easily.
Despite pedestrian back-to-back 3.9 YPC seasons, Joique Bell (#28 RB ADP) would be a decent get if not for the arrival of rookie Ameer Abdullah (#32 RB ADP). My hunch is that by August, Abdullah will be the first Lion RB off the board in most leagues. It’s too early to know how involved he’ll be in the offense or whether he’ll reach RB2 levels. But with Bell recovering from surgeries on his knee and Achilles’, Abdullah will get every opportunity to earn his playing time.
The other player to watch is Theo Riddick, who Fantasy Pros’ composite of experts lists as the 63rd best fantasy RB. Where will he fit into this backfield? With an impressive 316 yards and four TDs on 34 receptions last year, will he once again be the fourth (or even third) most targeted receiving option? Will he qualify as an RB and a WR, creating some useful roster flexibility, especially in PPR leagues? We’ll know more in the coming weeks. . . .