DETROIT LIONS

OFF SEASON CHANGES

Detroit missed the playoffs after losing both coordinators, Ben Johnson (to Chicago as head coach) and Aaron Glenn (to the Jets as head coach), and the offense noticeably slipped without Johnson calling plays, even though it still finished fourth in points and fifth in yards. The front office responded with a full offensive line overhaul after center Frank Ragnow's abrupt retirement, parting ways with longtime left tackle Taylor Decker, and hiring Drew Petzing as the new offensive coordinator while promoting Kelvin Sheppard into his second year running the defense. They also lost RB David Montgomery and replaced him with former Chief Isiah Pacheco.

QUATERBACKS

Jared Goff finished second in the NFL in passing yards (4,564) and touchdowns (34), third in passer rating (105.5), and earned his fifth Pro Bowl nod despite the coordinator turnover — a testament to how much talent still surrounds him. He’s been a very good quarterback for years now and has three straight seasons with 30+ passing touchdowns. His passing TDs line for this season is set at 29.5, a number he should go over again if he’s healthy all season. His passing yards line is set at 4050.5, also a number he has cleared in four straight seasons. Backing up Goff is veteran Teddy Bridgewater but he won’t be called upon unless Goff gets injured or sits out in games that are finished.

RUNNING BACKS

We could be about to see a historic season for Jahmyr Gibbs. He has just signed the most expensive contract in running back history worth over $25 million per season. Now that David Montgomery is gone, this is Gibbs’ backfield to dominate. In six career games without Monty, Gibbs averages 111 rushing yards and 1.2 rushing touchdowns per game. For all of us fantasy players, he averages 27.4 PPR points in games without Monty. I know Isiah Pacheco has been signed as backup, but he’s not the same player as David Montgomery. Pacheco left the Chiefs after four seasons there – he had 830+ rushing yards in his first two seasons but then followed it with just 310 and 462 rushing yards the last two years. He dealt with injuries and doesn’t look like the player he once was. With all that in mind, we can expect a massive season for Gibbs as the leader of the backfield.

RECEIVERS

Amon-Ra St Brown is one of the safest floor receivers in the league, with three consecutive seasons of 115+ receptions and 1250+ yards. He’s also a beast in the end zone with 10+ receiving touchdowns in three straight campaigns. I don’t see that changing this year and you can get him at decent odds for 10+ touchdowns once again. Amon-Ra rarely misses games and he’s an incredibly reliable option for Jared Goff. Expect similar numbers once again in 2026. I like him to have 10+ receiving touchdowns at +100. Jameson Williams is a nice complement to Amon-Ra, he also had over 1000 yards last season to make it back to back 1000+ seasons. Williams loves to get behind defenses and is always a threat with the deep ball. Isaac TeSlaa showed some promising signs as a rookie and they will hope he improves again this season.

DEFENCE

Aidan Hutchinson led the league in pressures despite battling injuries around him, and this defense ranked 32nd in defensive player health last season — an almost unfathomable amount of bad luck. Brian Branch's Achilles tear and Kerby Joseph's knee injury both linger into 2026. Free-agent additions Chuck Clark and Christian Izien project to fill in, but better health alone could be the single biggest defensive upgrade available to Detroit this season.