In support of: Warrick Dunn Charities
Consisting of Homes for the Holidays, Count on Your Future, Sculpt, and Hearts for Community Service Scholarships, these four programs are dedicated to strengthening and transforming communities by combating poverty, hunger, and improving the quality of lives for families academically, socially, and economically.
Nominated by Ben C (@TheExtraPointFF)
“My mom was a single parent for a good majority of my life. The struggles for single parents is endless. The work @WDCharities has done cannot be overstated.“
#Project32 Menu
2020 Recap
Division: NFC North
2020 Finish: 5-11 (4th in NFC North)
2020 Tendencies:
- Passing Ratio: 61% (4th)
- Neutral Game Script: 58% (17th)
- Offensive Scheme: West Coast
Personnel Groupings:
- 11 Personnel (1RB, 1TE, 3WR) = 66%
- 12 Personnel (1RB, 2TE, 2WR) = 16%
- 21 Personnel (2RB, 1TE, 2WR) = 7%
- 22 Personnel (2RB, 2TE, 1WR) = 5%
- 13 Personnel (1RB, 3TE, 1WR) = 2%
- 10 Personnel (1RB, 0TE, 4WR) = 1%
- 01 Personnel (0RB, 1TE, 4WR) = 1%
- 20 Personnel (2RB, 0TE, 3WR) = 1%
Coaching Room
Head Coach: Dan Campbell
There are a lot of questions about the hiring of Dan Campbell. He comes to Detroit with a very limited resume. Most recently he was the assistant head coach and tight ends coach for the New Orleans Saints (2016-2020). Prior to his time in New Orleans, Campbell spent six years (2010-2015) in Miami as an interim head coach and tight ends coach. He took over the head coaching duties when the Dolphins decided to move on from Joe Philbin after only 4 games in 2015. He led the Dolphins to a 5-7 record and the Dolphins went another direction in 2016. As a player for 3 years from 2006-2008 for the Detroit Lions their record was 10-38 including an 0-16 record in 2008. The Lions have won 1 playoff game since 1957. That is one playoff win in 63 years leading up to 2021. Anybody else excited about this hire? Me. Either.
Offensive Coordinator: Anthony Lynn
Anthony Lynn, welcome to the Detroit Lions without Matthew Stafford. Unlike Dan Campbell, Anthony Lynn has some experience both as a head coach and as an offensive coordinator. Lynn has bounced around the league since becoming a special teams assistant for the Denver Broncos from 2000-2002. He has spent most of his time in the NFL as a running backs coach for the Jaguars, Cowboys, Browns, Jets and Bills. He also filled the roles of assistant head coach and offensive coordinator with the Bills before becoming the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017-2020. He led the Chargers to a 33-31 record including 1-1 in the playoffs. Lynn deserves some credit for the play of rookie QB Justin Herbert in 2020 and has shown the ability to establish the run and explosive plays in the passing game.
Overall Rank: 31st/32
OL Room
LT Taylor Decker – PFF 82.0, Pass Blocking 85.8, Run Blocking 72.9
Taylor Decker finished the 2020 season ranked as the #12 tackle in the NFL according to PFF. He excelled as a pass-blocker (3rd overall) and showed improvement in the run game. Decker has started every game he’s played in during his five-year NFL career after being selected 16th overall by the Lions in the 2016 NFL Draft.
LG Jonah Jackson – PFF 57.0, Pass Blocking 51.2, Run Blocking 61.5
Jonah Jackson was drafted in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. He started all 16 games as a rookie for the Lions but struggled in the passing game which causes some concern considering the Lions will be playing from behind a lot in 2021.
C Frank Ragnow – PFF 80.3, Pass Blocking 74.8, Run Blocking 80.9
Frank Ragnow was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2020 and has shown vast improvement during his three years as the anchor for the Lions offensive line. Ragnow was selected 20th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Arkansas and was ranked as the third overall center in the NFL in 2020.
RG Halapoulivaati Vaitai – PFF 59.7, Pass Blocking 53.3, Run Blocking 60.2
Vaitai was moved from right tackle to right guard in 2020 where he played 282 snaps. The Lions feel this is a better fit for him to maximize his strength and power while minimizing his lack of ability as a pass-blocker. With Ragnow and rookie Penei Sewell playing next to him at C and RT respectively, the Lions should be able to provide Vaitai with all the help he needs in the passing game and raise his level of play.
RT Penei Sewell (Rookie)
Penei Sewell was the best offensive lineman coming out of the 2020 class so when he fell to the Detroit Lions at number seven, they could not resist. Sewell is an absolute monster and will plug in as an instant starter at the right tackle position for the Lions. He becomes the fourth offensive lineman selected by the Lions in the first round in the last seven years. This unit is quickly becoming a Top 10 offensive line in the NFL and should provide huge upside for this offense for years to come.
New Toys: N/A
Old News: G Oday Aboushi (16/8)
Overall Rank: 9th/32
QB Room
Jared Goff (QB30)
Jared Goff landed in Detroit for one reason. Matthew Stafford wanted nothing to do with a rebuild and requested a trade. Sean McVay, head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, was ready to make a deal. The Lions, who are in full rebuild mode, made a deal for Jared Goff that included first round picks in 2022 and 2023 plus a third-round compensatory pick. The Lions could have selected Justin Fields or Mac Jones with the seventh overall pick, but instead, elected to draft Penei Sewell. This is good for Jared Goff, who at the very least, will get 2021 to prove he can lead this franchise into the future. Goff has been selected to two Pro Bowls and led the Rams to the Super Bowl in 2018. He has struggled over the last two years, but maybe a change of scenery and a fresh start will pay off for both Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions.
Fantasy Outlook
Passing: 588 attempts, 65.1%, 4183 yards, 29 touchdowns
Rushing: 44 attempts, 89 yards, 1 touchdown
Total Fantasy Points: 268.2
New Toys: Tim Boyle
Old News: Matthew Stafford
Position Fantasy Rank: 31st/32
RB Room
D’Andre Swift (RB11)
The last time the Detroit Lions finished in the top half of the league in rushing was back when Barry Sanders was putting together a Hall of Fame career in 1998. D’Andre Swift played less than 40% of the offensive snaps in 2020 and still amassed 878 yards and 10 touchdowns. That is insane efficiency. Swift averaged 4.6 yards per carry with an 80.1% catch rate and will get the lion’s share of the workload in Detroit.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 248 attempts, 1142 yards, 6 touchdowns
Receiving: 100 targets, 71 receptions, 582 yards, 4 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 303.3
Jamaal Williams (RB45)
Jamaal Williams brings some toughness and a lunch pail mentality to the Lions backfield. He will provide some leadership both in the locker room and on the field. He’s a great compliment to Swift in an Anthony Lynn offense and should see plenty of action in short yardage and goal line situations.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 98 attempts, 410 yards, 5 touchdowns
Receiving: 41 targets, 29 receptions, 207 yards, 1 touchdown
Total Fantasy Points: 126.5
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Kerryon Johnson, Adrian Peterson
Position Fantasy Rank: 10th/32
WR Room
Tyrell Williams (WR58)
Tyrell Williams opted-out of 2020 due to COVID and is looking for a fresh start in Detroit. Williams has started 49 out of 62 career games and brings big play potential to the wide receiver room. In 2019 he finished the season with 42 receptions, 651 yards, and 6 touchdowns. His career yards per reception sits at 16.1 so there is no doubt who they expect to threaten defenses vertically. Williams could bring you a nice return at his current ADP.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 88 targets, 54 receptions, 737 yards, 6 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 163.4
Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR66)
With the losses of Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr, and Danny Amendola many expected the Detroit Lions to go wide receiver early in the draft. They elected to wait until the seventh pick in the fourth round to grab Amon-Ra St. Brown out of USC. When most receivers were taking advantage of pro-days with faster than usual 40 times, St. Brown clocked in at 4.66 which was only in the 14th percentile. However, do not let the lack of speed fool you. St. Brown, in my opinion, will be a guy that will pick up first downs and move the chains in critical situations. His strength is his ability to create route side space in the quick game with the ability to give you yards after the catch. Do not look for a huge pay-off in year one, but I do believe he makes an impact and finds a nice role in the NFL.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 88 targets, 54 receptions, 667 yards, 5 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 150.4
New Toys: Damian Ratley, Kalif Raymond
Old News: Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr, Danny Amendola
Position Fantasy Rank: 28th/32
TE Room
T.J. Hockenson (TE6)
T.J. Hockenson was selected with the eight-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft coming out of the University of Iowa. His film was impressive, and he scored in the 88th percentile or better with his burst score, agility score and catch radius. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl for his efforts during the 2020 season and will look to make another big leap in year three. I have no doubt he will lead this team in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He will finish as a top five tight end in 2021.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 118 targets, 79 receptions, 866 yards, 6 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 201.4
New Toys: Darren Fells
Old News: Jesse James
Position Fantasy Rank:8th/32
2021 Full Player Projections
Make Your Own Projections With Our Template!
Strength of Schedule (SOS): #4 (.543 138-116-2)
2021 Predicted Finish: 2-15 (Last in NFC North)
Note: all projections are PPR scoring
