If you had a piece or two of the Detroit Lions offense in fantasy football last year, chances are the year went well for you. Among others, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams were all common league winners. Detroit had one of the best offensive years in modern NFL history, scoring 33.2 PPG and leading the NFL in all production metrics by a healthy margin. Although Ben Johnson left for the Bears, we all assumed the party would continue.
Nobody expected them to struggle so mightily in Week 1, even in a tough road matchup against the Green Bay Packers. The Lions didn’t get into the end zone for the first 59 minutes of the game. Now, we all have to wonder: should we panic about Amon-Ra St. Brown and his Lions teammates?
Week 1 Breakdown
Raise your hand if you thought Isaac TeSlaa would score the only touchdown for the Detroit Lions this week. Okay, you, put your hand down. Liar. But whew, what a touchdown it was.
Detroit’s run game was bottled up from the jump. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery ran 20 times for a combined 44 yards, and as the Packers built their lead, Detroit had to air it out. Jared Goff was unable to get anything going down the field; although he completed 31 of 39 passes, he only put up 225 yards. That’s a measly 5.77 yards per attempt.
The main point of concern is the Sun God, Amon-Ra St. Brown. ARSB was targeted six times and caught four balls for 45 yards. That would have been one of his lowest-producing fantasy outings in 2024. But context is everything here. This is an excellent Packers defense, and with their pass rush dominating, Detroit was forced into quick-developing passes that took ARSB out of his comfort zone. Don’t expect Detroit to face a defense of this caliber every week. That is, until the Packers come to Detroit in Week 13.
Last year, St. Brown also had a rough start to the season. Playing a tough Rams defense in Week 1 of 2024, Amon-Ra caught three balls for only 13 yards. Then he ripped off 112 catches for 1,250 yards and 12 touchdowns in the final 16 games.
The Verdict
Don’t panic over this start from St. Brown. The rest of the Lions’ offense may not be as dominant, but a top target like him cannot be dragged down for long. He may end up with a bit less touchdown production if the Lions offense is worse in the red zone than they were last year, but he can make up for it with more targets in the intermediate parts of the field.
Heck, if a manager in your league is panicking over his ARSB ownership, float him a lowball. It might change your season.
