Expectations were HIGH for the Lions entering 2025. After all, most key parties returned from a squad that won more games than anyone during the 2023 and 2024 regular seasons.

Unfortunately, it's tough to be overly elite when the Injury Gods continue to be dicks, the offensive line isn't quite as dominant and the defense remains a bit too leaky. While Jared Goff and company continued to largely score plenty of points regardless of the opponent—as long as they're inside, people don't forget—Dan Campbell's squad dropped four of their final six games to finish last in the NFC North.

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Fantasy Football Team Preview for the 2026 Detroit Lions

Fast forward to 2026, and the team made quite a few notable changes to the coaching staff and roster alike:

• Longtime Cardinals OC Drew Petzing is the new man in charge of this offense. Yes, he's expected to call plays.
• The Lions shipped off David Montgomery to the Texans, REALLY cementing Jahmyr Gibbs as THE running back, y'all. Credit to the artist formerly known as Knuckles for racking up 3,156 total yards and 33 scores during his three years in Detroit.
• The offensive line overhaul is real: Lifelong Lions LT Taylor Decker as well as longtime starting C/G Graham Glasgow are out. Ex-Panthers C Cade Mays and first-round Clemson OT Blake Miller are in. Perennial stud RT Penei Sewell is also making the transition to blindside protector.

What follows is a fantasy-focused team preview of the Detroit Lions ahead of the 2026 season. Make sure to check out Fantasy Life's rankings hub for updated player ranks all year long.

As always: It's a great day to be great.

Where's the love for Jared Goff among the fantasy community?

• QB1: Jared Goff (QB18)
• QB2: Teddy Bridgewater

The man has largely done nothing except smash preseason ADP in recent years.

• 2022: QB27 ADP, QB13 finish in fantasy points per game
• 2023: QB18 ADP, QB15 finish
• 2024: QB19 ADP, QB7 finish
• 2025: QB18 ADP, QB12 finish

Goff has ripped off three consecutive seasons with at least 4,500 passing yards. The rest of the NFL has *6* combined. Still only 31 years young, Goff is projected to throw for more passing yards than anyone not named Dak Prescott in our fantasy football projections. Only Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford are projected to throw for more yards.

Can Jared Goff surpass his ADP again?

Is Jahmyr Gibbs Mr. 1.01 in fantasy land?

• RB1: Jahmyr Gibbs (RB1)
• RB2: Isiah Pacheco (RB48)
• RB3: Jacob Saylors
• RB4: Sione Vaki

Well, Fantasy Life's group of alleged fantasy experts is split 2x2 on the proposition! Mr. Dwain McFarland and I do indeed have Gibbs as fantasy's top overall pick, while Kendall Valenzuela is leaning with Bijan Robinson, and Mr. "I'm going to be different and show them" Matthew Freedman has Ja'Marr Chase.

Gibbs may be the best RB on the planet

Are there enough targets to go around?

• WR1: Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR4 in Fantasy Life ranks)
• WR2: Jameson Williams (WR26)
• WR3: Isaac TeSlaa (WR83)
• WR4: Greg Dortch

Death, taxes, Amon-Ra St. Brown catching triple-digit passes for well north of 1,000 yards and scoring a lot of touchdowns. The two-time first-team All-Pro has arguably been the most consistent stud receiver in fantasy during the past four seasons. The Sun God hasn't missed!

Amon-Ra St. Brown is the picture of consistency

What are realistic Year 4 expectations for Sam LaPorta?

• TE1: Sam LaPorta (TE7)
• TE2: Brock Wright
• TE3: Tyler Conklin

LaPorta started off his career with a BANG, finishing as the TE3 (14.1 PPR points per game). Unfortunately, this high-end upside didn't exactly stick, as the Iowa product posted more meh TE9 (10.9) and TE7 (11.9) finishes in 2024 and 2025.

Is LaPorta on his way back up the TE ranks?

Predictions for the Detroit Lions

Win total prediction: The Lions boast a 10.5 win total just one season removed from eating 15 Ws. I'm banking on a reshuffled offensive line, fourth-place schedule, better goodwill from the Injury Gods, and a bit more luck in close games (3-5 in one-score games in 2025) to be enough to get Dan Campbell's squad back in the postseason: Give me OVER 10.5 wins for a team still very capable of beating anyone on any given Sunday.

Bold fantasy call: Mr. Jared Goff gets back into the darkhorse MVP conversation by (per usual) putting up all kinds of numbers through the air, but this time his team wins an extra few games! The result of the former outcome leads to another top-12 finish that will have dual-threat truther fantasy nerds screaming, "He can't keep getting away with it!"

Last season predictions: Over 10.5 wins (whoops), and both Gibbs and Montgomery manage to turn in top-12 seasons in half-PPR points per game (halfway there, livin' on a prayer, maybe don't take my hand, because I can't guarantee we'll make it, I swear, based on this rough prediction result).

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