Bold fantasy prediction has Detroit Lions drafting immediate starter at quarterback

In a bold fantasy football prediction, the Lions will draft a quarterback in April and he’ll be productive too.

The Detroit Lions are in a position to take a quarterback with one of their two picks at the end of the first round/early in the second round of April’s draft. If they do, it’s worth wondering if said rookie will unseat Jared Goff as the starter at some point.

In a set of bold (or unbelievably bold, as they were titled) fantasy football predictions for 2022, from a collection of folks over at Going For2.com, the Lions not only draft a quarterback but he’s also lined up to start right away.

Here’s what Shane Barrett of FFkollectiv.com had as his bold prediction.

"Sam Howell will be drafted by the Detroit Lions and finish as a top 15 fantasy quarterback next yearHowell lost both of his starting running backs for his final year of college who are both talented NFL starting running backs now. He also lost both of his starting wide receivers. If he goes to the Lions he will have Swift and Hockenson who are two great options. The emergence of Amon-Ra St. Brown will also help Howell as ARSB is better than either of the two receivers Howell had at UNC that went to the NFL."

Will Sam Howell be an immediate fantasy factor as a rookie?

Howell had his supporting cast gutted by NFL exits with the Tar Heels last season. His passing numbers dropped off, but he was better after a rough start, but he also ran for 828 yards with 11 touchdowns on the ground.

Howell is presumed to start right away with the prediction, which might be an aggressive step if the Lions are firmly committed to at least starting the season with Goff.

In 2021, QB15 in fantasy was Lamar Jackson with 252.98 fantasy points (via Fantasy Pros). For a statistical translation, in 12 games (essentially 11; 10 snaps in Week 14), he had 2,882 passing yards with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with 767 rushing yards and two more sores along with three fumbles lost.  QB15 in 2020 was Matthew Stafford–270.56 fantasy points (16 games).

If Howell starts most of the season, for whoever drafts him, a finish as a top-15 fantasy quarterback wouldn’t be a huge stretch if he maintains good rushing production as a rookie. The Lions being the team that would start him most of his rookie season, shy of an injury to Goff, looks like the boldest part of this prediction.