5 bold predictions for the Detroit Lions in 2022

2.  Jared Goff, Top 10 in the NFL in passing yards

Goff hasn’t even thrown for 4,000 yards since 2019, his second to last season with the Rams. And that was driven by a league-high 626 pass attempts.

In 2021, Aaron Rodgers finished 10th in the NFL with 4,115 passing yards. He and ninth place Kirk Cousins (4,221 yards) both missed one game due to COVID-19.

If the Lions’ defense is not that improved this year, the offense and the passing game will have to pull a lot of weight. Goff could get to 4,000 yards again quite easily, with better surroundings and more comfort this year. A push into the top-10 in passing yards would not be far beyond that.

1. D’Andre Swift–the RB1 in fantasy football

The fantasy opinions on Swift for 2022 have been across the board, to embrace the upside or focus on the risk since he has missed time in each of his first two NFL seasons. He’s already one of the best pass-catching running backs in the NFL. He came to offseason work looking bigger while being challenged to reach his full potential by running backs coach Duce Staley. If he can stay healthy, workload should not be an issue.

The Lions’ offensive line is already down a key piece entering the season, with right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai (back) on IR and out at least the first four games. But the unit is still lined up to be one of the league’s best, and set Swift up to succeed.

With the included caveat of PPR formats, either full or 0.5-point, Swift will be the RB1 in fantasy football this year. (As a Swift fantasy owner, I’m probably trying to speak this into existence).