2021 Team Preview: Detroit Lions

Thanks for checking out our latest article in our 2021 Team Preview series. We will be breaking down the outlook for teams in 2021, key acquisitions during the off-season and through the 2021 NFL Draft, key losses, and looking at each team from a dynasty perspective. We’ll give you some players to consider buying, selling, stashing, and potential sleeper candidates. Stay tuned for more team breakdowns as we approach the 2021 NFL season. Here is our 2021 Team Preview: Detroit Lions.

2021 Outlook

After a third consecutive losing season in 2020, the Detroit Lions kicked off the latest off-season looking to rebuild.  Tipping their hand to a full rebuild, they brought in first-time head coach Dan Campbell on a 6-year contract, the kind of time you give to someone when you don’t expect big things immediately.  With little doubt, 2021 will show us a brand new style of Detroit Lions football.  Question: What does that mean? Answer: Anything is possible.

Key Acquisitions/Losses

Just like that, the Lions said farewell to long-time fan favorites Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr., and Matthew Stafford. This trio has allotted 4,856 yards and 41 touchdowns together over the last three seasons.  Coming in to make the new face of Detroit’s air game are Tyrell Williams, Breshad Perriman, and the former first overall draft pick, Jared Goff.  In the NFL Draft, Penei Sewell was brought in as the team’s first-round selection and should immediately bolster the blocking and become a cornerstone of the Lions’ offensive success.  Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, a fifth-round selection, has the chops to become a reliable target in the near future.

The biggest loss on the defensive side of the ball is probably Desmond Trufant, who signed with the rival Chicago Bears.  In response, the Lions added Quinton Dunbar via free agency and also drafted defensive linemen Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill to construct a foundation against opposing offensive attacks.  There will be some growing pains with this defense, but in time, they could develop into a unit that forces opponents to improvise at the line of scrimmage.

Dynasty Quick Hits

Buy Low: Quintez Cephus

At 6’1” and 202 pounds, Quintez Cephus fits the physical mold of an NFL wide receiver.  His catch rate in 2020 wasn’t something to celebrate at only 57.1%.  However, if you take away his Week 1 performance of three grabs on 10 targets, his catch rate jumps to 68%, which is more than respectable.  He also has some big-play potential as 35% of his receptions were for 20 yards or more.  With all the departures from Detroit, there are more than 350 vacated targets to be had, which is more than enough for Cephus to garner a large share.  The additions of Perriman and Williams tanked his stock, so get him now before anything else changes.  He’s a great late-round selection or someone to keep an eye on the waiver wire early on in redraft leagues as well.

Sell High: D’Andre Swift

Youth is king in dynasty and running backs with high opportunity are sexy. D’Andre Swift is another young runner with the tools to be a 3-down back, but injuries caused issues for him in year one. When teammate Adrian Peterson came out in December with concerns that after his concussion, Swift was, “not being himself,” many people took notice as brain injuries are no joke. Couple that with the additions of Jermar Jefferson and Jamaal Williams, there’s a possible path to a workload less than we’d hope for the sophomore out of Georgia. This is a new coaching room that isn’t handcuffed to last year’s second-round rookie, so there are no guarantees going forward (example: Josh Rosen). Swift has talent but his hype this offseason has gotten too rich for my blood and I’d be looking to capitalize, at the very least putting him on the trade block and see what kind of haul he’ll get you.

Sleeper: Jared Goff

This California alum has had quite a roller coaster ride in his short NFL career. Jared Goff has taken the Rams to the Super Bowl, he’s put up a sub 70 QBR on 17 different occasions and everything in between. The biggest knock on Goff isn’t any of his deficiencies, it’s that he’s always been part of a run-oriented offense. Being traded to Detroit for Matthew Stafford will give us the chance to see what Goff can do with a team that will assuredly be forced into more passing plays late into games as the team will be having to play catch-up. A season of 5,000 passing yards and 30+ touchdowns could be in the cards for this young man and everyone is too concerned with Stafford’s in LA to notice. Goff doesn’t get much credit and is someone worth targeting, especially in 2QB or Superflex leagues.

Stash: Jermar Jefferson

Sometimes, NFL franchises make strange or unexpected maneuvers like drafting a promising young player a year after doing the same thing at the same position.  Taken in the 7th round of the NFL draft, Jermar Jefferson is no immediate threat to take over at the running back position in his rookie campaign.  In his three years at Oregon State, he averaged 108.26 rushing yards per game at a clip of 5.69 YPC.  His analytics aren’t blowing minds, but he’s got hands comparable to some of the better passing-catching backfield performers in the NFL today.  He might have to sit on your bench or taxi squad for a couple of seasons, but this guy could become a stud after a couple of years.