2015 Review

Last year was a tale of two different seasons for the Detroit Lions. They lost seven of their first eight games before finishing the campaign with six wins in their first seven games. Unfortunately for the Lions, they then lost future Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson to retirement. 

Even with Johnson in the mix, the Lions' offense took a major step back last season. It ranked 18th in points scored and 20th in total yards. The running game couldn't get it going at all, averaging just 3.8 yards per attempt and finishing dead last in yards. Ameer Abdullah fell out of favor after a strong start. Meanwhile, no other member of the Lions put up more than 311 rushing yards. 

In the passing game, Matthew Stafford actually had a stellar statistical season. He completed a career high 67.2 percent of his passes for 4,262 yards with 32 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Outside of Johnson, Golden Tate was their most-accomplished receiver, tallying 90 receptions for 813 yards and six scores. Here's a look at the Lions 2016 campaign from a fantasy perspective.

Quarterbacks: Matthew Stafford

In a surprising turn of events, Stafford finished last season as the ninth-best fantasy quarterback. He also finished 10th in consistency, making him a true QB1 option. Even without Johnson the field this year, there's very little reason to believe Stafford will regress. 

First off, Golden Tate and Marvin Jones form a solid starting wide receiver tandem. The two combined to catch 155 passes for 1,629 yards. They also caught 67 percent of the passes thrown in their direction. 

Short of the Lions finding some success on the ground (unlikely), Stafford will continue to have the opportunities to put up stellar statistical numbers. As the 17th quarterback off the board in terms of ADP, the value is most definitely here. 

Running Backs: Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick

PPR and a lot of it. Both Abdullah and Riddick can be considered solid bench options in heavily tilted PPR contests. Abdullah put up 25 receptions on 38 targets as a rookie. Meanwhile, Riddick dominated to the tune of 80 receptions and a ridiculous 81 percent catch rate. 

There is, however, an interesting dynamic in play here. Abdullah also figures to be a productive fantasy option on the ground. He put up nearly 600 rushing yards and a team-best 4.2 yards per attempt. Assuming Abdullah figures out a way to hang on to the ball better (five fumbles in 2015) and becomes more consistent on the ground, his ceiling should be as a mid-tier RB2 option. That's magnified even further in PPR contests. 

As it relates to Riddick, we're looking at more of a Darren Sproles and Reggie Bush impact. Someone that's not going to provide anything on the ground, but could very well be a dominating FLEX option in PPR-heavy contests. 

While the Lions rushing attack may again struggle, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to stream these two — one as a mid-round option, and the other as a late-round add. 

Wide Receivers: Golden Tate, Marvin Jones

Speaking of PPR, Tate has been a stud in that category in his two seasons with the Lions. He ranked ninth in the NFL in catches last season after finishing fifth in that category the season prior. With Johnson no longer in the equation, Tate should continue to act as a stellar PPR option. Unfortunately, he's not a WR1 option due to the lack of yards and touchdowns. 

While Tate did put up 90 receptions last season, he averaged just nine yards per reception and 6.4 yards per target. Unless these numbers increase substantially, Tate likely won't find himself as anything more than a decent WR2 or FLEX option this season. 

On the other hand, Jones is a real wild card. He's apparently been much more impressive than Tate in his first Lions camp after signing with the team from the Cincinnati Bengals in the offseason. Jones is coming off a 2015 campaign that saw him record 65 catches and a solid 63 percent reception rate. Though, Jones' production was limited due to the presence of a true No. 1 wide receiver in A.J. Green. That won't be an issue with Johnson now in retirement. 

Should Jones see an uptick in targets of say 3-4 per game, there's every reason to believe he can finish with an 80-1,000-10 stat line in 2016. That would make Jones a solid WR2 option. 

Tight Ends: Eric Ebron

All the talent in the world, but uneven production throughout his first two NFL seasons. After catching just 25 passes and averaging under 10 yards per reception as a rookie, Ebron saw his numbers increase substantially last season. He recorded 47 receptions for 537 yards while scoring five touchdowns. 

Still, those aren't numbers you look for in a fantasy tight end. Though, they were good enough for him to finish 13th among tight ends in fantasy points. This seems to be an indication that Ebron's upside is especially high heading into a season where he should receive more than the 70 targets he saw last season. Look for top-10 fantasy production in 2016.