Lions make Jahmyr Gibbs the NFL’s highest-paid RB

Like teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown, Gibbs started the week off with a missed practice before upgrading to a full participant in both sessions to end the week. He was removed from the injury report Friday and will be ready for a normal workload against the division rival Vikings Sunday. Fantasy managers are clearly starting Gibbs, regardless of matchup.

The return to practice comes on the heels of a missed practice Wednesday for the veteran workhorse, immediately putting fantasy managers at ease for Week 8. Managers will want to confirm his practice status Friday before making final preparations for the weekend, but it certainly appears as if Gibbs will be good to go for a normal, and massive, workload when the Lions take the field against the division rival Vikings.

A DNP to open the week would normally be concerning, but Dan Campbell told reporters earlier today that he was going to get a lot of players “off their feet” during today’s practice. Gibbs appeared to injure his leg while awkwardly sliding to the ground on his final carry of Week 7. The fact that he isn’t listed with a leg injury on today’s report is also a good sign. Sione Vaki is the next man up if Gibbs can’t play this week, but we aren’t overly concerned quite yet. Tomorrow’s injury report will be more telling.

Fantasy managers won’t balk at what was an overall solid performance, but they probably would have liked to see Gibbs rush in a touchdown; the Packers were more than willing to give him one late in the fourth quarter. Gibbs intentionally fell short of the end zone twice on the Lions’ final drive to ensure Jake Bates’ game-winning field goal attempt would be the final play in regulation, which worked to the Lions’ advantage in the 20-17 win. Gibbs ripped off multiple chunk gains in this one, with 13 of his 29 carries going for five or more yards. He did lose a fumble deep inside Packers territory near the end of the second quarter, which likely cost his team at least three points, but as usual, Gibbs was a big reason why the Lions constantly found themselves in position to win. It’s worth noting that on his final play of the game, Gibbs appeared to suffer a knee injury when his left leg bent awkwardly as he attempted to stop and fall to the turf to keep the clock running, but he was able to jog off under his own power. We would ultimately expect him to be fine, but his practice status will be one to monitor this week as the Lions prepare to take on the Vikings. Assuming he is good to go, Gibbs will be an obvious RB1 candidate next week.

Gibbs scored twice today, bringing his career touchdown total up to 57, breaking the NFL record set by former Lions RB Barry Sanders for the most touchdowns scored by a player under 25 years old. The exceptionally talented player gets a boost from his sharp coaching staff, who continue to maximize Gibbs’ strengths. OC Drew Petzing dialed up a trick-play screen pass for Gibbs after the two-minute warning, in which Gibbs took the handoff, pitched it to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who pitched it back to Jared Goff, who then chucked it back to Gibbs with three offensive linemen in front of him on the left side of the field. An 18-yard gain ensued. Gibbs later produced a season-long 22-yard run. Although he scored two touchdowns today, he could have had a third. On the Lions’ ninth drive, Gibbs got two chances from the one-yard line on the ninth drive before the coaching staff greenlit a successful QB sneak for Goff. The Lions are on bye in Week 6, but he returns to the top of the running back ranks against the Packers in Week 7.

Gibbs had eclipsed 100 combined yards against all three opponents to start the season before the Panthers held him largely in check, with fantasy’s top asset cashing in on a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter to avoid a disastrous outing. The two teams were knotted at 16 entering the half but it was the Panthers that dictated terms following the break, winning the time of possession battle by over six minutes. Gibbs maintained an elite workload by seeing all but two backfield opportunities and every available carry on the evening, keeping his fantasy value sky-high ahead of a potential shootout against the Cardinals in Week 5.

Per usual, Gibbs was dynamic with the ball in his hands, making defenders miss at will while racking up 27 touches. He put an exclamation point on the game with an 11-yard touchdown grab that eventually gave Detroit the win. He’s already up to six touchdowns this year and has no fewer than five catches and 113 yards from scrimmage in his three appearances. With the ability to crush on the ground and through the air, Gibbs is an unstoppable fantasy force. He remains the RB1 overall heading into his Week 4 date with the Panthers.

Gibbs was effectively the entire game plan out of the gates, scoring the team’s only first-half touchdown from 11 yards out in the second quarter. He would be used far less after the break as the Lions attempted to come back from multiple 17-point deficits, although the six receptions on eight targets and a touchdown through the air helped push his counting stats into clear RB1 territory for the second consecutive week to start the season. Fantasy managers that were lucky enough to secure the 1.01 in drafts this offseason are sure to be content with the early returns. Gibbs will once again be an elite fantasy option when the Lions host the Jets in Week 3.

As expected, the Lions elevated Gibbs to a true workhorse role sans David Montgomery and he never looked back. He ceded a grand total of three touches to backup Sione Vaki. Gibbs logged career highs in touches and carries. Despite this, Gibbs still cruised past 5.4 yards per carry, consistently gashing the Saints for chunk gains. To no one’s surprise, Gibbs is the runaway favorite to be the RB1 overall this year. He will hold that spot in the Week 2 rankings when he takes on Buffalo.

The Lions are retaining “all” of last year’s play-calling verbiage, and “it was on Drew Petzing to learn the offense,” not the other way around. Goff apparently “had as much of a hand in getting Petzing familiar with the offense as the offensive staff did.” Mays believes these developments speak to the command, agency and autonomy that Goff possesses at this stage in his career. We agree. For those who were concerned about the Lions scrapping the tactics that coach Dan Campbell employed as the Lions’ play caller in Weeks 10-18 last year, it sounds like those concepts aren’t going anywhere. Will Petzing be allowed to add his own elements to that playbook? Yes, we assume so. At the end of the day, this year’s offense could look a lot like last year’s fantasy-friendly unit, though. Draft accordingly.