The Detroit Lions’ receiving corps presents one of fantasy football‘s most intriguing storylines heading into 2025. Amon-Ra St. Brown has established himself as a rock-solid performer, but questions remain about the Lions’ ceiling without former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson calling plays.
Amon-Ra St. Brown Fantasy Outlook
Back-to-back WR3 overall finishes haven’t been enough to convince fantasy managers that Amon-Ra St. Brown is a top-tier fantasy receiver. The Detroit star is ultra-reliable but has yet to threaten a WR1 overall finish, something Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, and CeeDee Lamb have all achieved.
In the last six seasons, only one player has finished as the WR1 in PPR with fewer than 175 targets. That was Davante Adams in 2020, and he tallied 18 receiving scores that season. St. Brown’s targets topped out at 164 in 2023, while his 12 receiving touchdowns last season marked a career high.
When Amon-Ra St. Brown had a CAREER BEST 165 yards from scrimmage vs the Chargers last season 😳#OnePride pic.twitter.com/WDvsPPILPx
— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔱 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 📰 (@the_det_times) August 19, 2024
With Ben Johnson now in Chicago, any potential drop-off in the Lions’ offensive production could be outweighed by a more streamlined approach. No more passes to offensive linemen, or trick plays that require star receivers to throw downfield — just Jared Goff putting the ball in the hands of his best playmakers.
St. Brown needs more targets, or a spike touchdown year to become the WR1 overall in fantasy, and this may be the last chance to get that at a discount. If the Lions’ offense falters without Johnson, the two-time All-Pro is reliable enough to maintain a solid fantasy floor, but has the talent to be the WR1 overall if things work out.
— Cameron Sheath, Fantasy Football Analyst
Jameson Williams Fantasy Outlook
We’ve been waiting for a Jameson Williams breakout, and we sort of got it in 2024. He tallied 1,001 yards on 58 catches, which is pretty representative of his role, something that was quite lucrative for the Lions in 2024, who scored 70 total touchdowns.
Williams only got eight of those, which is a pretty solid number, but WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, TE Sam Laporta, and RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are still here, whereas OC Ben Johnson and All-Pro center Frank Ragnow are not.
But as I’ll mention often, young receivers with upside are the ones you want to target in the midrounds. Williams will be 24 this year, and while it’s his fourth season, he’s only played 33 games and missed most of his rookie season. He’s essentially right in that breakout range and is attached to a great offense.
There’s still some concern. Among a crowded room of talented weapons, Williams doesn’t present a strong weekly floor. Twice last year, Williams scored a single point or less for fantasy, part of five games where he scored 10 or less in PPR.
He gets a very solid bump in non-PPR leagues, but his ADP is among other upside receivers like Xavier Worthy, Travis Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan, and George Pickens, so you’ll have to shoot your shot on which breaks out.
Williams is as good a bet as any of them. He finished with 50 total points in the championship weeks (16/17) and has gone a long way to gain the trust of this coaching staff. He’s playing for a paycheck and extension, so I’d expect a contracted effort from him this year. He’s an ideal best ball target, but I’m not shying away from him in redraft either.
— Mason LeBeau, Fantasy Football Analyst
