The Detroit Lions are looking to make a return to the playoffs. They have a solid offense. Who can help you on your fantasy football team? Here are some players to look at.
Sleeper – Eric Ebron, Tight End
Eric Ebron is currently barely being drafted, as his ADP is 147 overall. He has also not been drafted 100% of the time and is not a starting tight end when drafted. This comes on the heels of a career-high in receptions and yards, and an abnormally low touchdown rate. He had six red zone targets, caught five of them, yet he had only one touchdown on the season. Still, he had 711 yards last season, which was more than eight of the fourteen tight ends who ended up ahead of him last season in total fantasy points. He has a ton of opportunity, just no touchdowns. With Anquan Boldin moving on, he will get even more opportunity, especially in the red zone.
Bounce Back – Matthew Stafford, Quarterback
In the first 12 games of the season last year, Matthew Stafford was cruising to back-end QB1 numbers. He averaged 269 yards per game and carried a 21-to-5 touchdown to interception ratio. After he broke his finger, he had more yards per game, but a terrible 3-5 touchdown to interception ratio in his final four games. Stafford has had a seesawing relationship with touchdown rate, but an ever-decreasing interception rate. He should bounce back from his bad TD rate this year, given his issues in the red zone after week six. He posted six red zone touchdowns in weeks five and six and posted seven for the rest of the year. He is the #14 quarterback off the fantasy football draft board and is the perfect QB to pair with Philip Rivers or Marcus Mariota.
Bust – Marvin Jones, Wide Receiver
Jones finished 2016 with a decent final line, as he amassed 930 yards and four touchdowns on 103 targets. There’s a huge issue with that, as over a third of those yards came in just two games in weeks two and three last year. People also remember that outburst and tend to think he was better than he was last year and extrapolate those kinds of performances backward. In fact, those were two-of-three career games with over 100 yards for Jones. Jones is going as a late-round pick in many fantasy football drafts, so it is hard to call him a bust, but he will not return much on that investment. Once Golden Tate got into the swing of things, Jones became an afterthought. After week three, Jones averaged just 44 yards per game and scored two touchdowns in the last thirteen games of the year. He will have a couple decent games, but there will never be a time in 2017 where you will want to put Jones in your lineup. Draft upside instead.
Editor’s Note: This article can also be seen in our upcoming NFL Preview Edition.