The only Lions player worth playing in fantasy in Week 17

Here’s the only Detroit Lions player worth playing in fantasy this weekend

This season has been a fantasy bust for those relying too heavily on players from the Detroit Lions to carry them to a fantasy championship this weekend. Sitting at 5-10, the Lions will post their third-straight losing season.

And now, Detroit is preparing to enter their Week 17 matchup against the 6-9 Minnesota Vikings in an all but meaningless divisional contest as a rudderless ship. That after parting ways with their head coach and general manager over a month ago.

The Lions enter their final game of the season ranked 24th in the NFL in scoring offense (22.8) and dead last in the league in scoring defense (32.1). Each stat being very problematic for fantasy owners hoping to pull out a miracle in Week 17.

Adding to the uphill battle for fantasy owners is the fact some of this game’s top offensive stars will likely be sidelined in this contest. For the Lions, that appears to include quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Kenny Golladay. For the Vikings, that includes running back Dalvin Cook, who is second in the NFL in rushing yardage (1,557).

Here’s what the staff over at Pro Football Focus wrote in their recent NFL Week 17 Preview about the one player from Detroit worth playing on your fantasy team this weekend.

"“The only Lion who can be trusted in any way shape or form is D’Andre Swift, who is priced at $6,300 on DraftKings. Chase Daniel is part of the captain checkdown club — 4.2 aDOT in Week 16 — so I expect Swift to continue to receive looks in the passing game.”"

D’Andre Swift has had a solid rookie season for the Lions. The team’s second-round selection out of Georgia has recorded 467 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground this year, averaging an impressive 4.6 yards per carry.

The 21-year old has also caught 43 of his 54 targets for 341 receiving yards and two scores through the air. Despite his improving play, Swift has only started in three of his 12 games played this season. And that’s due to veteran Adrian Peterson being ahead of him on the depth chart for most of the year.

Despite starting in 10 games this season, Peterson only has 74 more rushing yards than Swift with 541, although he does have six rushing touchdowns. Former 2018 second-rounder, Kerryon Johnson, is far behind in third with 181 rushing yards and three total scores in two starts.

D’Andre Swift is set to have a big day against a Minnesota Vikings’ defense that allows an average of 134.8 rushing yards per game to opposing offenses.