Team Previews - Detroit Lions

Projected Starting Lineup QB: Matthew Stafford RB: Kerryon Johnson WR: Marvin Jones WR: Golden Tate WR: Kenny Golladay TE: Luke Willson

LT: Taylor Decker LG: Frank Ragnow C: Graham Glasgow RG: T.J. Lang RT: Rick Wagner

Lions Offensive Profile Under Jim Bob Cooter

2015-2017 Pass Attempts Rank: 4th, 11th, 10th 2015-2017 Rush Attempts Rank: 30th, 31st, 31st 2015-2017 Play Volume Rank: 17th, 29th, 28th 2015-2017 Yards Per Play Rank: 20th, 17th, 9th Unaccounted for Air Yards from 2017: 804 (24th) Unaccounted for Carries from 2017: 1 (31st)

Jim Bob Cooter's average offensive production as an Offensive Coordinator in the NFL. (3 Seasons)

Passing: ATT COMP PCT YDS AVG YDS/G LONG TD TD% INT INT% SACK YDSL RATE

599 394 65.8 4420 7.4 261 67 29 4.8 12 1.93 43 251 96

Rushing: ATT YDS AVG LONG 20+ TD YDS/G FUM FUML 1DN

356 1289 3.6 37 7 9 81 5 3 68

Receiving: REC TAR YDS AVG TD LONG 20+ YDS/G FUM FUML YAC 1DN

394 599 4420 11.3 29 67 55 276 2 2 2178 221

Quarterback-

Since coming into the league Matthew Stafford has yet to finish outside of the top 12 in pass attempts (9-for-9). The Lions return 5 of there top 6 pass catchers from last year, the only loss being (TE) Eric Ebron (53/574/4). With Jim Bob Cooter as the OC, Stafford has seen his completion percentage stay above 65% compared to his 60.5% average before Cooter took over calling plays. He is a lock for 4,000+ yards, 24 touchdowns, and can be counted on as a safe starter if you take a high upside QB before him. Wide Receiver-

Golden Tate is one of the safest wide receivers in fantasy football, as he has caught over 90 balls all four years in Detroit. With Marvin Jones operating on the outside, Tate can utilize his skillset inside and dominate from the slot. He is one of the league leaders in yards after the catch, a category that he has finished inside the top 5 in four consecutive seasons. While he is the perfect PPR WR2, Tate is an excellent WR2 in (.5PPR) as well and should be looked at in the 5th round. As you know consistency is key and Tate is one of the most consistent wide receivers in the league.

Marvin Jones exploded in 2017 albeit in a down year for receivers. He went on to have his first top-ten finish amongst his position group with 61 catches for 1,101 while adding 9 touchdowns in 2017. While one should expect another 100-115 targets in 2018, it is a certainty that his yards per catch will drop from last years (18.0) which lead the league. With the continuing emergence of Kenny Golladay, and more of an emphasis on the running game this season, It will be extremely tough for Jones to duplicate last years numbers. I have him ranked as more of a WR3 this season while he is being drafted as a high-end WR2.

Coming into his second year, Kenny Golladay should be a much bigger factor in the passing game for the Lions this season. Having been slowed by nagging hamstring injuries throughout the year, the Lions are hopeful he can stay healthy and compliment Jones and Tate as the No. 3 receiver. The problem with having two legit deep threats on the outside, is that they should both cannibalize each others value and make Golladay nothing more than a late round pick.

Tight End-

After realizing how dumb it was to select Eric Ebron with a top 15 pick in the NFL draft, the Lions have finally moved on from him and freed up over 100 targets from the tight end position. They went out and signed Luke Wilson, who has always been a block first tight end (60% of snaps) and averages a pedestrian 17.8 catches per season. With the emergence of Golladay, I think the tight end position sees a significant drop in volume this coming season. While Wilson should handle the starting duties, they do have an intriguing youngster in Michael Roberts who was a red zone monster at Toledo. I think it will be a tight end by committee type approach and not offer much value for us fantasy football folk. Running Back- The Lions offensive line looks to be a strength this season for the first time in a long time. They added Rick Wagner and T.J. Lang last season while adding one of the best guards in this years draft by taking Frank Ragnow 20th overall. The Ameer Abdullah train has officially left the station, as he might not make the 53-man roster. The Lions went out and got LeGarrette Blount, and traded up to take Kerryon Johnson 43rd overall in this years draft. I think they will regret not taking Guice, but I do like the Johnson's upside. The rookie out of Auburn earned SEC Offensive Player of the Year, totaling 1,585 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns this past season. Coming in at (6'0/213) Johnson has the look and speed (4.52) of an NFL starter. The downside to Johnson, is that Theo Riddick will suck up most of the passing-down work while Blount will no doubt steal several goal line touchdowns.

If you want to know just how bad I think LeGarrette Blount is, you can check out last years bust article or wait for this years bust list in a few weeks. The only time Blount is effective is when his team leads by several scores and the defense he is playing has mailed it in.

While I do not think Blount will factor in much, Theo Riddick will no doubt gobble up all kinds of value, as he dominates in the passing game. Riddick is a passing downs specialist, who has caught 53+ balls in each of the past three seasons. Riddick typically gets about 80-90 carries in the running game as well but he is not very efficient, averaging only 3.44 yards per carry in his career. He is a great addition in (PPR) leagues but offers no value in standard leagues. 2018 Vegas Win Total The Lions’ Win Total opened at 8. The Lions have a very difficult schedule that will include six difficult division games while facing the improving NFC West. They do catch a break in playing the AFC North, but with such a brutal division they will need a hot start. Having gone just 3-5 in one-score games last season, one would think the improved offensive line changes that. They will now have the ability to run out the clock on the opponents in the final minutes of the game when leading. The passing game has never been an issue and should be another strength this season. With so much emphasis being put into the running game, one would think this will be a top offensive unit and a difficult team to beat. The defense is still a concern, but it too has been growing through the draft and should be better. They have one of the premier cornerbacks in Darius "Big Play" Slay and one of the best pass rushers in Ziggy Ansah to help combat the good passing attacks that they will face this season. With such a difficult schedule it will be a close call but I do think the Lions top there win total and fight for a playoff spot.