Sep 30, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) warms up before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-US PRESSWIRE

Week six is upon us and the Detroit Lions skill positions have been letting fantasy owners down. Though the Lions are coming off a bye week and are looking to turn their season around after a dreadful 1-3 start, fantasy owners should be concerned for their Lions going into Philadelphia.

This week is not the best week for your Lions fantasy players, and this week’s start em/sit em’s numbers may shock you.

Start em…
Calvin Johnson – It is obvious that you start Calvin Johnson every week but this year he hasn’t had the numbers everyone was expecting and what put him on the Madden cover. Johnson has yet to catch a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford and that is a concern. His targets are right where they should be at 43, but most of them are short passes and not down the field. Coming off the bye week I expect Johnson to catch his second touchdown of the season but don’t look for huge day with yards.

Matthew Stafford – This week Stafford has something to prove. This season he only has 3 touchdown passes total. At this point last year he had 8, just to Calvin Johnson. Though he is still averaging 295 yards a game, his 3-4 touchdown to interception ratio is not good. He is only averaging about 16 fantasy points a game in standard leagues and that is just not good enough for how high his average draft position was. This week he is going to have his hands full. The Eagles are ranked 9th against the pass in the NFL and only allow 206 yards passing a game. Look for Stafford to come out strong against the Eagles and have a better game than the numbers suggest.

Sit em…
Brandon Pettigrew – Yes, yes he drops the ball but that hasn’t stopped him from being a productive fantasy tight end. He is second in targets on the Lions with 35 behind Calvin Johnson and that trend should stay the same. He has at least 60 yards in three of the four games and if he can fix the drops, it would be a lot more. Now all these numbers may sound like I am saying start him but I’m not. The Eagles have only allowed one touchdown to tight ends so far this season and more than five catches only once. He may be good going forward but not this week.

Titus Young/Nate Burleson – Are these guys even on the field? I was high on Titus Young early in the year but he has just not shown up. Though his numbers that made him fantasy relevant came in the second half of the season last year, in the here and now he has been virtually droppable. Burleson has actually been better than I predicted this season but not this week. Burleson has yet to gain more than 70 yards in a game and he only has one score. He may be a decent play in PPR leagues for the rest of the season but he wouldn’t be in my lineup this week.

Mikel Leshoure – Leshoure doesn’t have the sample size to really put a finger on his skill set but the Eagles make it easy to say he shouldn’t have a good fantasy day. The Eagle defense has only given up two games of over 100 yards rushing and just two touchdowns in five weeks. He may be a good flex play but is not quite number two running back material this week.
If the Lions can start to put up more points in the first half of games, and get the ball to Calvin Johnson in the end zone, the Detroit players will begin to have better fantasy weeks.

Photo Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

Now that the NFL has changed to a passing league, the tight end position has become more of a prized offensive weapon. Luckily for the Lions they have two very capable guys at the position. Last season the Lions tight ends got in the end zone 11 times, giving quarterback Matthew Stafford two very good targets in the red zone. This season should be no different for the Lions and the tight ends will be a crucial weapon for the 4th year quarterback.

The main target at tight end last season was Brandon Pettigrew and this year should be much of the same. Pettigrew had an outstanding season in 2011 racking up 777 yards and five touchdowns. Now the most important stat here is the touchdowns. Though five touchdowns is not the most eye popping number, it is more significant when you realize they were all in the red zone. This makes Pettigrew a main target when the Lions get in close. Another fun stat is all five of his scores came at home, though this doesn’t mean much, it may be a useful strategy during the season. In 2012 Pettigrew is poised for another big season. He has got increasingly better in each season since 2009, his rookie year. Not only have his yards increased but his touchdowns as well. This means he should be a top ten fantasy tight end in the upcoming year. Pettigrew should be a late round pick in most standard leagues but in PPR he is intriguing. He averaged around five catches a game in 2011 and that number will likely go up. Pettigrew is a solid pick when it comes to second tier tight ends in your draft.

The other tight end for the Lions that made a big impact last season was Tony Scheffler. Though Scheffler caught only 26 balls last season, six of them were for touchdowns. Near the goal line is where the Lions use most of their two tight end sets and Scheffler is definitely a used weapon. He shouldn’t be chosen in any ten team standard leagues or even PPR, but he could be a viable option for deep 12 to 16 team leagues. This season his numbers should stay close to the same and he may not score as many touchdowns, but he has the ability to have a great upside. And his touchdown dances aren’t bad either.

The Lions tight ends are key targets in the red zone and it is no secret Matthew Stafford likes to use them. There is no doubt in my mind that Pettigrew will be a top ten tight end in all leagues and that Scheffler is a great option for bye weeks or deep leagues. With the league being pass heavy and new emphasis on tight end play, the Lions should have a great pair of guys for your fantasy team.

Brandon Pettigrew
2011 Actual: 83 Receptions, 777 Yards, 5 Touchdowns
2012 Projected: 91 Receptions, 892 yards, 8 Touchdowns

Tony Scheffler
2011 Actual: 26 Receptions, 347 Yards, 6 Touchdowns
2012 Projected: 21 Receptions, 298 Yards, 3 Touchdowns

Photo Credit: Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Smith will be the Detroit Lions starting running back come week one. It seems wild to be saying that so early into training camp but a lot has happened already only in a few days. Jahvid Best has yet to be cleared to play and was placed on the PUP list and Mikel Leshoure has already suffered a mild hamstring injury. The unhealthy backfield of the Lions is filled with uncertainty and the starter will be who is ready to go Week 1.

Jahvid Best has yet been able to see the practice field and Mikel Leshoure is suspended the first two weeks so Smith is the natural choice. Last season, Smith was signed as a free agent mid-season and played his first game in Week 10 against the Bears. Though banged up a bit, he was quite productive in his six games as a starter. Smith racked up 535 all-purpose yards and 7 touchdowns. In a six week stretch, he was no fantasy slouch. Smith became a must start after his Week 11 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. He went off for 140 rushing yards and two touchdowns, also adding 61 receiving yards and another score. These numbers were too good to be ignored. This season Smith has the ability to be successful. Like the rest of the Lions backfield, he has been plagued with injuries. This warrants a late round pick. In standard leagues Smith will most likely be taken after fellow backs Best and Leshoure but it doesn’t mean that he couldn’t be the featured back for most of the year. Most leagues will see him go rounds 8 to 12 depending on running back depth in these rounds. Smith will be a great start Week 1 with a matchup against a weak St. Louis defense even if it’s as a flex play. There is no doubt Kevin Smith is one to take a risk on late in your draft.

Now onto the back we know absolutely nothing about; Mikel Leshoure. The only thing we know about Leshoure as a Lion is that he’s been arrested almost as many times as he’s been on the practice field. Last season he was sidelined by a season ending Achilles injury suffered early in training camp. This year he has already been slowed with a minor tweak of a hamstring and is sitting out of practice. Nonetheless, Leshoure has the potential to be a touchdown vulture in 2012. His skill set is a physical style that punishes defenses. It is thought that by mid-season Leshoure could be the number one back on the Lions roster. Even if not the feature back, he will be seeing a lot of red zone carries. The Lions lacked a short yardage back in 2011 and Leshoure is thought to be the guy. Though Leshoure is suspended the first two games, it really shouldn’t affect his draft status. Leshoure will most likely be taken in the mid to late rounds. I project him being taken as high as the fifth round and as far back as the 10th. His PPR value isn’t very high but in most standard leagues he could be an effective starter or flex play.

Remember, all this being said, every one of the three Lions running backs have injury issues and are not very reliable. The projections are based on a full season and as Lions fans know, the “curse” of Barry Sanders has been hard on the running back position. This season should be very interesting in the backfield and should be monitored closely by fantasy owners. All three of these guys have great upside if healthy, but in the end only one will be a stand out.

Kevin Smith
2011 Stats: 72 Carries, 356 yards, 4 touchdowns, 22 receptions, 179 yards, 3 touchdowns
2012 Projections: 76 carries, 304 yards, 2 touchdowns, 18 receptions, 158 yards, 2 touchdowns

Mikel Leshoure
2012 Projections: 129 carries, 574 yards, 6 touchdowns