Detroit Lions: A fantasy football juggernaut?

A position by position breakdown of the 2015 Detroit Lions offense from a fantasy football perspective.

Dec 21, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The Lions defeated the Bears 20-14. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The last few weeks of summer is upon us as we try to fire up the grill and hit the beach one last time before the kids get back to school. It also gives us a chance to carry around cheat sheets and put together fake football teams. Oh yes, I am talking about the annual fantasy football draft. One last chance to get together and trash-talk friends while listening to last year’s champ brag about how great he/she is.

Having a Michigan-based fantasy league also means that Detroit Lions players typically fly off the draft board way too early as the opportunity for a “hometown” selection is just too hard to pass up. I remember a “Joey Harrington in the third round” selection that destroyed many fantasy seasons before they even started. I am here today to prevent you from being the running joke of your league for the next decade.

Surprisingly the Lions finished last season 19th in the NFL in total yards, a huge drop-off after being 6th in 2013. They also dropped in scoring from 24.7 points per game down to a very average 20.1 last year. The drop in yardage and scoring can mostly be contributed to inconsistent play from Matthew Stafford as well as Calvin Johnson missing time and playing hurt for part of the year.  Here is my position by position breakdown for the 2015 season.

*DISCLAIMER – All data is based on 10 team league using ESPN’s Standard Scoring*

Next: Quarterback