Amon-Ra

St. Brown

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.

According to Over the Cap, the Lions created $35.68 million in cap space. Detroit is now second in the NFL in cap space with around $38 million, which can either be used this year or carry over to 2027. While a big in-season move could come closer to the trade deadline, Lions GM Brad Holmes recently reiterated the organization’s interest in giving contract extensions, which would begin in 2027, to TE Sam LaPorta and S Brian Branch.

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.

This will be the sixth regular season NFL game played in Germany as part of the league’s international series. It will feature Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, a German-American and the centerpiece of the Detroit offense. Last year St. Brown was fifth in receiving yards and fourth in wideout receptions. The Lions will be looking to bounce back from a relatively disappointing 2025 campaign after losing OC Ben Johnson to the Bears.

St. Brown made good on a lofty draft ADP entering the 2025 regular season, finishing as the overall WR4 in both total PPR points and points per game, behind only Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Ja’Marr Chase. He brought one of the most consistent weekly floors while also contributing three games of 29.9 PPR points or more, peaking with a 41.4-point eruption in the first week of fantasy playoffs in Week 15. St. Brown amassed a sparkling 1,401 yards on 117 receptions while adding 11 touchdowns, marking the third consecutive season with at least 1,263 yards and 10 scores. Continue treating St. Brown as a locked-in WR1 ahead of his sixth professional season.

Dan Campbell said that St. Brown is trending towards playing earlier today. He should be considered on the optimistic side of questionable. He’s on the WR1 line in fantasy leagues that are still going in Week 18, but could be at risk of sitting later in the game if things get out of hand in one way or the other as the Lions have nothing to play for.

St. Brown was limited in Thursday’s practice and figures to be out there on the practice field again Friday given Campbell’s comments. The 26-year-old wide receiver is as tough as they come, which he showed earlier in the season as he played through an ankle sprain against the Cowboys. While the game against the Bears means nothing for the Lions, who’ve already been eliminated from the playoffs, St. Brown is hyper-aware of what his statistics mean in the grand scheme of things. While St. Brown has already secured a Pro Bowl nod this year, surely he wants to have a big game in hopes of making the All-Pro team as well. While it’s possible the Lions shut him down in the second half, expect St. Brown to be involved heavily early in this one.

It’s an upgrade from a Wednesday DNP. St. Brown will have some re-injury/blowout risk on Sunday if he just isn’t able to gut it out in a meaningless game against the Bears, but he appears to be trending towards playing. He likely belongs on the WR1 line if he is able to play, though perhaps as more of a mid-range option given the potential of a mid-game shutdown.

St. Brown has already played without practicing this season, so sitting out on Wednesday should not induce panic. That said, Lions head coach Dan Campbell did say that they would shut down St. Brown if they believe he is setting himself up for “long-term risk” by playing through his current injuries. He should be considered truly questionable to play at this time, though St. Brown does tend to play through injuries. Stay tuned.