The Detroit Lions offense chugged along on Sunday as if losing Amon-Ra St. Brown and D’Andre Swift were mere footnotes. Yes, for the third time this season, the Lions have scored over 35 points. It’s also the third time this season that they’ve played at home, and yes, you guessed it, their three offensive outbursts did in fact come at Ford Field. I love the Lions’ offense, I love Jared Goff, St. Brown, and Swift this season, and I always felt that this group would exceed expectations in 2022. This isn’t a victory lap, though. It’s tough to victory lap for a team that’s 1-3 and can’t even force a single punt in a game.
As talented as their offense is, their defense is simply atrocious. Besides #2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson, who is their most talented defensive player? No, 6th round pick and Hard Knocks darling Malcolm Rodriguez doesn’t count. This defense needs a lot of work, though I feel that a veteran leader like Devin McCourty might be able to come in and turn it around solely on experience and leadership. McCourty isn’t ever leaving New England, but that’s the type of guy this unit is lacking the most.
What does this mean for fantasy, though? Well, save for a three-game stretch where they play the Packers at home and then the Bears and Giants on the road, this offense should continue returning elite fantasy output whenever they have a soft matchup in the friendly confines of a dome. They’ll spend plenty of time playing from behind, which is a prime recipe for a ton of fantasy points. Don’t be surprised if Jared Goff finishes as a Top 5 QB on a team with five wins.
As always, check out the team’s thoughts from every game at the links above, and then jump on over to our What We Saw podcast for the latest injury updates and a primer for MNF. For those of you in Dynasty leagues, Dustin Ludke outlines five names to watch in this month’s Dynasty Future Report, including a guy I really like in Erik Ezukanma. And finally, if you’re not reading Adam Sloate’s Complete Guide to College Football every week then you’re missing out on the best college football content on the ‘net. Check back for these every Friday throughout the season.
Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)