QB: 2024 fantasy leader QB Jared Goff 4629 passing yards, 37 TD, 12 INT

A boost in touchdowns gave Goff a little more fantasy value in 2024 than he had in 2023. Oddly enough he fumbled 6 times during the regular season but lost none of them. Then in the playoff game against the Commanders he got sacked and lost a fumble. He also threw three interceptions in that loss, so the season ended on a very sour note for Goff and the Lions. One of those interceptions was inconsequential in the final seconds but the damage had been done. His pick six in the first half was pretty ugly. He even left the game briefly after a hard hit on that pick six return and QB Teddy Bridgewater made an appearance. Losing OC Ben Johnson was expected after he became the hottest head coaching candidate. This will be something to watch in 2025 with Goff specifically. The new OC is John Morton. Morton was here as an assistant in 2022 so he is familiar with Goff. But I think Johnson was a true wizard when it came to the scheme, play design, formations, trick plays, play calling, etc. He is a big loss and it wouldn't surprise me if we see Goff take a step back in 2025. Bridgewater is a free agent again. Last year he retired and coached high school football before the Lions brought him back in December. It sounds like he wants to continue coaching high school again. QB Hendon Hooker figures to head into the offseason as the backup.

RB: 2024 fantasy leaders RB Jahmyr Gibbs 1929 total yards, 20 TD, RB David Montgomery 1116 total yards, 12 TD.

Gibbs exploded late when he carried the load while Montgomery was out. He'll be a top 5 pick in fantasy mock drafts for 2025. Montgomery ended up with almost identical numbers in 2024 as he had in 2023. He remains under contract but it's worth wondering if the workload shifts from roughly 50/50 to more of a 65/35 in favor of Gibbs. I mean let's look at Gibbs - he averaged 5.6 yards per carry. He's so explosive that you need to keep him on the field. He had 175 yards and 2 TD in the playoff game against Washington. Montgomery will still have a role as the bruiser, goal line back, and so on. The offensive line figures to remain mostly intact going into 2025. There was some thought that the line slipped a bit in pass protection, but they were still strong in run blocking. Kevin Zeitler is going to be a free agent and if he leaves that would mean there is a hole at guard. They could fill it from within, sign a veteran, or use a high draft pick. The best guards in the draft sometimes last until the end of round 1.

WR/TE: 2024 fantasy leaders WR Amon-Ra St. Brown 1269 total yards, 12 TD, WR Jameson Williams 1062 total yards, 8 TD, TE Sam LaPorta 726 yards, 7 TD, WR Tim Patrick 394 yards, 3 TD.

Another rock solid season from St. Brown. LaPorta started to heat up a little bit late in the year but was still a disappointment based on expectations. Williams went over 1,000 receiving yards in week 18 with the Lions making sure he got there at the end of the game. But his playoff game was a dud. He did score on a 61 yard run but he only caught one pass for 19 yards. He should have been flagged for his celebration after his TD, he made a poor decision to throw the ball on a gadget play and it got intercepted, and he seemed to be loafing late in the game getting back to the line when the Lions were in hurry up mode. He's clearly talented but there continue to be questions with his maturity level. I'm not sure yet that the Lions want to commit to him long term. Patrick did a nice job as the third receiver. He is a free agent. I think the Lions will have interest in bringing him back. But WR3 in this offense is going to be 5th in target share so it's probably not the highest priority Cooper Kupp is on the trade block and he played with Goff in LA. But I don't see a reunion in Detroit.

D, K, ST: It seems unlikely that the Lions will use the franchise tag The one possible candidate would be CB Carlton Davis. But remember, they just drafted CB Terrion Arnold in round 1 last year, so I don't think they will want to spend franchise tag money on Davis. Arnold struggled with penalties early in the season but improved to the point where I think they can feel good about him as CB1 in 2025. The Lions do have a nice amount of cap space heading into the offseason, but with more young core players about to receive extensions on top of the extensions they handed out last year, that cap space could disappear quickly. DC Aaron Glenn took the head coaching job with the Jets. Kelvin Sheppard was promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator. If Myles Garrett really is available via trade I think the Lions have to at least give the Browns a call and offer them a package of draft picks. Garrett and a healthy Aidan Hutchinson would make a dynamite pass rushing duo. But the market for Garrett would be crazy so I'm not getting my hopes up. The Lions have way more free agents on defense than they do on offense. We're talking mostly depth pieces. PK Jake Bates was great in his 1st NFL season so the kicker position is solidified heading into 2025.

Other notes:

2025 opponents:

Home: CHI, GB, MIN, DAL, NYG, PIT, CLE, TB

Road: CHI, GB, MIN, PHI, WAS, BAL, CIN, LAR, KC

The Lions along with the rest of the NFC North will play the NFC East and AFC West in 2024. Look at those road opponents. On paper this could be one of the most difficult road slates I have ever seen in the NFL. Seven of those nine teams made the playoffs. As for the other two, Cincinnati has Burrow, and Chicago will be interesting as that is where Ben Johnson ended up. Both Super Bowl teams are on there. Detroit opening the season in Philly is possible. Figure on plenty of prime time games again. The Lions should be a contender in 2025 but going 15-2 again seems very unlikely with this schedule. The Lions defense in fantasy might just be a streaming option against some of the weaker opponents.

The Lions will draft 28th in the first round of the draft. Defense was the weaker side of the ball so you might think they will focus there in the draft, but the issue was injuries more than anything. Still, another edge rusher probably makes the most sense. With free agency coming first, we could get a little more clarity on their needs in the coming weeks. And of course we have many mock drafts to come.

I will be back next month as we dive into free agency and any other news.

End.