Skip to main content

Amon-Ra St. Brown: Useful Bye Week Waiver Wire Addition (2021 Fantasy Football)

Amon-Ra St. Brown: Useful Bye Week Waiver Wire Addition (2021 Fantasy Football)

If there’s one team that genuinely lacks elite talent at receiver, it’s the Detroit Lions. Could Amon-Ra St. Brown change that? Even if he does, will he blossom quickly enough to save your fantasy season? Let’s get into it.

View your league’s top available players with My Playbook partner-arrow

Player Profile

Amon-Ra St. Brown, brother of Packers’ WR Equanimeous St. Brown, was drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft. At USC, he shined as a sophomore in 2019, totaling 1,102 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns in 13 games. 

St. Brown isn’t jump-off-your-screen spectacular at any one thing yet, which may have contributed to his falling to the fourth round. He runs a middling 4.51 40 yard-dash, is just shy of six feet tall, and isn’t particularly strong.

However, he’s creating separation with routes from the slot and quickly climbing the unimpressive totem pole that is Detroit’s receiving options through six games with Detroit.

In the last three weeks, St. Brown has tallied his three highest snap counts of the season, seeing 23 targets, catching 18 passes for 161 yards, and a two-point conversion in that span. 

State of The Offense

The winless Detroit Lions desperately need pass-catchers, and St. Brown is ready to fill that void. WR1 Tyrell Williams has been on IR with a concussion, leaving St. Brown to compete with Quintez Cephus, KhaDarel Hodge, Kalif Raymond, and Trinity Benson for targets. Of course, TE TJ Hockenson is emerging as a rock-solid receiving option, and RB D’Andre Swift is one of the better pass-catching backs in the league.

Despite playing from behind often, the Lions may not be an excellent situation for a receiver. As I mentioned, Hockenson and Swift will likely see the bulk of red-zone work. Also, Jared Goff is graded by PFF as the 26th out of 33 QBs. 

However, targets are targets, and if the Lions keep playing catch-up, St. Brown will stay on the field, and it’s not a stretch to say he is the most exciting receiver in Detroit. For the sake of development, the Lions may force-feed St. Brown the rest of the season. 

St. Brown’s Outlook

He doesn’t have the highest ceiling in the world, but St. Brown is worth adding as we move into the thick of bye weeks. He’s the third-most targeted player on the team after Hockenson and Swift and has four red-zone targets, tied for second with Hockenson after Swift’s five.

St. Brown is rostered in just under 18% of ESPN leagues. For the rest of the season, I’d rather have St. Brown than Tyrell Williams, Elijah Moore, Van Jefferson, and Russell Gage, among some of the players with similar roster exposure.

Create Optimal DraftKings lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool partner-arrow


SubscribeApple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio

Beyond our fantasy football content, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Trade Analyzer – which allows you to instantly find out if a trade offer benefits you or your opponent – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team, and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.

TJ Horgan is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from TJ, check out his archive and follow him @tjhorgantv.

More Articles

Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice: Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., Keon Coleman (Fantasy Football)

Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice: Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., Keon Coleman (Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 2 min read
Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, Joe Mixon, Derrick Henry

Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, Joe Mixon, Derrick Henry

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 3 min read
Fantasy Football Draft Value Fallers: Kenny Pickett, Justin Jefferson, Tyjae Spears, Justin Herbert

Fantasy Football Draft Value Fallers: Kenny Pickett, Justin Jefferson, Tyjae Spears, Justin Herbert

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 2 min read
2024 NFL Draft USC Pro Day: Caleb Williams, MarShawn Lloyd, Brenden Rice (Fantasy Football)

2024 NFL Draft USC Pro Day: Caleb Williams, MarShawn Lloyd, Brenden Rice (Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 1 min read

About Author

Hide

Current Article

2 min read

Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice: Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., Keon Coleman (Fantasy Football)

Next Up - Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice: Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., Keon Coleman (Fantasy Football)

Next Article