5 Detroit Lions who could become fantasy football stars in 2022

3. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

Yes, St. Brown already had a star turn as a top-end fantasy wide receiver over the final six weeks last season. And yes, he benefited from injuries to Swift and Hockenson to get a substantial target share that won’t be repeated if everyone is healthy this year.

But St. Brown could benefit from there being more talent around him this year, with better matchups and less attention from opposing defenses. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson appears to have a creative mind, and a versatile talent like St. Brown will benefit from that imagination. The Lions’ offense was also one of the worst in the league at converting third downs last year, and it can only get better.

It’s pretty easy….more first downs=longer drives=more opportunities for all.

St. Brown’s ADP right now sits in a somewhat wide range depending on the source.

Fantasy Football Calculator (12-team, full PPR): WR34 (pick 8.01)
Fantasy Pros concensus (PPR): WR24 (overall rank, No. 65)

St. Brown would be a decent bet to lead the Lions in targets, receptions and receiving yards this year. Respectively, 130-140 targets, 95-100 catches and 1,000-1,100 yards with 5-8 touchdowns is within the realm of possibility. If you can get him as a WR3, or even a low-end WR2, there’s nice upside in PPR formats and sneaky upside otherwise based on pure stat accumulation that may be hard to ignore.