Amon-Ra St. Brown goes off for 153 yards vs. Pack

St. Brown added ten yards on a carry, which was actually a running catch on a play in which St. Brown lined up fifteen yards behind the line of scrimmage and got a running start like you might see in the CFL. He had a touchdown catch called back in the first half and had to go to the locker room with what looked to be a knee issue. It was only the second time this season St. Brown was held to less than 60 yards. He came into Week 8 ranked fourth in expected fantasy points per game. St. Brown takes on the Bills in Week 9.

St. Brown started the week off with an absence before logging consecutive full sessions to end the week or preparations, ultimately removed from the injury report entirely heading into the weekend. He should be good to go for a normal workload against the stingy Minnesota defense, where fantasy managers can start him with confidence as a WR1.

The upgrade from “DNP” to a full session indicates St. Brown will be fine for a normal workload when the Lions face off against the Vikings Sunday, easing fantasy managers’ collective minds after the star receiver was not present at practice Wednesday. Fantasy managers will want to confirm his status on Friday’s injury report, but it certainly appears as if the team will have their veteran alpha for the divisional tilt.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters on Monday that St. Brown would likely miss today’s practice, so this isn’t much of a surprise. Campbell also told reporters that St. Brown “should be good” for Week 8, so we’re not panicking just yet. St. Brown is one of the few players who can suit up after missing an entire week of practice. Even a DNP tomorrow wouldn’t be the end of the world. For now, fantasy managers can treat St. Brown as a WR1, but a backup plan should be in place. Jameson Williams would vault into the WR1 ranks if St. Brown misses Week 8 versus the Vikings.

St. Brown is dealing with what sounds like a minor ankle injury after Week 7’s win over the Packers. Campbell said he could likely be held out of practice on Wednesday before the team begins ramping him up on Thursday, but tempered any optimism by adding, “We’ll see when we get there.” The 4-2 Lions are playing host to the undefeated Vikings in a game that could end up deciding the winners of the NFC North later in the season. Unless this injury is more serious than Campbell is letting on, we would expect St. Brown to be on the field and operating as a high-end WR1.

Lions coach Dan Campbell tasked St. Brown with punt return duties (2/36) after Tom Kennedy got hurt. While St. Brown looked great weaving through traffic, his first return nearly ended in a lost fumble, but a teammate dove on the loose ball, bailing him out after it was punched out of St. Brown possession. St. Brown nearly had a 43-yard touchdown on a sideline play-action shot on the Lions’ seventh drive, but he couldn’t quite get his hands on it. He almost bagged short scores via out routes on the Lions’ eighth and ninth drives, but his coverage defender effectively challenged the pass on the first and the pass was just out of his reach on the second. He had a nice 36-yard catch-and-run on the eighth drive and nearly nabbed another explosive gain on the sixth drive, but Sam LaPorta accidentally knocked him down 11 yards downfield after St. Brown leapt over a downed Cardinals defender. He had another fumble recovered by a teammate after snagging a pass on a crosser. The Lions’ stud wide receiver will be an elite WR1 against the Packers following the Lions’ Week 6 bye.

It was quite the disappointing outing for the fantasy darling considering the Panthers were without their top two corners, with opposing defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero dialing up consistent pressure that caused quarterback Jared Goff fits throughout the evening. Two of Goff’s incompletions that were directed at St. Brown were batted down at the line of scrimmage, ultimately enough to keep St. Brown out of the end zone for the first time this season. St. Brown remains a top-tier WR1 ahead of a potential shootout against the Cardinals in Week 5.

St. Brown couldn’t get much going other than a handful of check-downs in this game, but he saved his fantasy backers with an end zone fade for six to close the first half. Despite the quiet showing, St. Brown still led the team in targets, tied with Jahmyr Gibbs at eight apiece. He’s now up to five touchdowns on the season. St. Brown isn’t quite in the WR1 overall mix right now, but he’s not far behind for his Week 4 matchup with Carolina.

St. Brown did not catch his first pass until six minutes left in the second quarter but was the primary cog of the offense after the break as the Lions worked to overcome multiple 17-point deficits. He found paint for the first time on the team’s first possession after the break before adding a second in the two-minute drill from 27 yards out. St. Brown now has 209 yards and four touchdowns on 19 receptions through two games an looks every bit of the elite WR1 fantasy managers invested a first-round pick into this offseason. Although volume through the air might be more difficult to come by in Week 3, St. Brown remains a top-tier WR1 when the Lions host the Jets in Detroit.

The Lions couldn’t get their deep passing game going, but that’s not an issue for St. Brown. He simply racked up a 36 percent target share including plenty of red zone and work and paid off in a big way for fantasy managers. The Saints’ frantic comeback also pushed the pace of the game, juicing the fantasy scores of everyone involved. With another shootout versus the Bills on tap for Week 2, St. Brown will remain near the top of the wide receiver ranks next week.