Detroit Lions: A fantasy football guide for Motor City fans

BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 3: Quarterback Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions calls a play in the huddle against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 3, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 3: Quarterback Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions calls a play in the huddle against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 3, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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The whole Lions offense
BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 3: Quarterback Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions calls a play in the huddle against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 3, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Matthew Stafford, Golden Tate, Kerryon Johnson. Where do these guys rank in fantasy? Where do you draft these Detroit Lions player? We’ll get you ready!

The NFL has had its draft, now it’s your turn in fantasy football. It’s never too early to develop your draft strategy and do your homework. If you’re a homer like me, you want to target a couple Detroit Lions to make your team more fun, and keep The D influence.

Maybe you’re a Same Old Lions fan but like one guy on the Stat Padford’s. Or maybe you draft one guy as a backup in case your team actually does something, but you need people to know about your love-hate relationship;The Lie-down’s could always use one Detroit player. Let’s focus on where to draft the Lions players who will be fantasy relevant.

Fantasy football geeking

The list of draftable Lions is: Matthew Stafford, Kerryon Johnson, Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, LeGarrette Blount, Luke Willson, Kenny Golladay, and Matt Prater. The key to a good draft strategy is to know where to pick each player, though. The person who gets the best value out of their picks wins the draft. Of course, it is free agent moves that fantasy champions use to win their league.

A good thing about being a Lions fan, from a fantasy point of view, is that many Lions are undervalued or overlooked due to the franchise’s loser status. On the bad side, if there are other diehards in your league, that can take most Lions right off of your board. If someone is going to go nuts and draft quarterback Matt Stafford in the first round, let them. People get crazy for their guys.

Lions in the draft

This year, there are no Lions to worry about in the first couple of rounds, either. So, that means that you can fill in your roster with a couple if the mood strikes you. I would also caution against drafting every Lions player. Diversify your fantasy roster, choose from a mixture of teams, preferring players on high scoring teams.

I like the CBS Sportsline average draft position tool and depth charts, so I will reference them and Fantasy Football Calculator for the data used. I’m going to assume, twelve team, normal scoring, non-PPR format; standard one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, a flex, a tight end, a kicker, and a team defense positions, too.

As any other ratings may do, these projections are subject to change. It is important to note trends in player movement leading up to your draft day. Last minute injuries, or declarations by coaches, may impact perception, thus changing a player’s value.