Fantasy Football Player Notes

Last year, Jahmyr Gibbs finished as the RB3 in fantasy points per game. After Week 10, his usage got a massive bump as he didn't play less than 68% of the snaps in any game for the rest of the season while averaging 20 touches and 114.9 total yards pre game. This stretch of games from Weeks 11-18 also coincided with Sam LaPorta's absence, which increased Gibbs' passing game usage. In Weeks 1-10, Gibbs had a 12.7% target share, 25.2 receiving yards per game, and an 11.1% first-read share (per Fantasy Points Data). In Weeks 11-18, Gibbs saw a huge increase in work through the air without LaPorta, with a 19% target share, 48.6 receiving yards per game, and a 19.6% first-read share. Gibbs led all running backs in those statistical categories in the final eight games of the season. Gibbs is in the running for RB1 overall for 2026, but if the rest of the weapons for Detroit remain healthy all season, it could be tough for him to do so. I still expect him to be a top-three back this season who is insanely efficient with his passing game and early down work. Last year, he ranked ninth in explosive run rate and third in missed tackles forced per attempt. Gibbs will and should be a top 3-5 pick in every fantasy draft this year.

Amon-Ra St. Brown has been a no-brainer stud WR1 for fantasy football over the last four years. Since 2023, he has finished as the WR4 in fantasy points per game in EVERY season. Yep, it's true. Last season, among 109 qualifying receivers, St. Brown ranked fifth in target share (28.5%), in receiving yards per game (82.4), yards per route run (2.66), and first-read share (37.4%, per Fantasy Points Data). He was also third in first downs per route run and led all receivers in red zone targets. The red zone work should come down some with a healthy Sam LaPorta for 2026, but St. Brown should still finish with double-digit receiving touchdowns for the fourth consecutive season. St. Brown is a high floor/high ceiling pick again in 2026.

Jameson Williams had a tale of two halves season in 2025. There are a lot of reasons why it worked out that way that I'll dive into shortly. In Weeks 1-19, he was the WR46 in fantasy points per game with a 14.9% target share (15.2 aDOT), 44.4 receiving yards per game, 1.54 yards per route run, a 14.9% first-read share, and 0.074 first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). During this stretch, Williams was just the low-volume field-stretching option while Sam LaPorta was healthy. John Morton was still calling plays, and it looks like Williams was on his way to a bust season. Then Sam LaPorta was lost for the season in Week 10, and Dan Campbell took over play-calling duties, and everything changed for the Detroit speedster. In Weeks 10-18, Williams was the WR11 in fantasy points per game while seeing an 18.5% target share (11.5 aDOT) with 84.7 receiving yards per game, 2.34 yards per route run, a 21.1% first-read share, and 0.098 first downs per route run. Williams' target share and first-read share put him in the WR2/3 bucket, while his per-route efficiency and three 100-yard receiving games vaulted him higher. His aDOT came down, and he was more involved weekly as a central cog of the offense. So the question is which version of Williams will we see in 2026? Well, that's tough to say because Drew Petzing will be calling plays, and he has had his own struggles in previous seasons putting wide receivers in the best spot to produce (hello, Marvin Harrison Jr.). Also, Sam LaPorta will be back in the huddle and healthy. Williams is best viewed as a volatile WR3 that could have strong WR2 upside if his usage remains strong and he's not forced back into a downfield role in 2026.

Before his 2025 season was lost to a back injury, Sam LaPorta was the TE7 in fantasy points per game. Despite the injury-shortened season, LaPorta was still one of the most explosive tight ends in the NFL on a per-route basis. Among 59 qualifying tight ends, he ranked tenth in target share (17.8%), sixth in receiving yards per game (54.3), fifth in yards per route run (2.14), and eighth in first downs per route run (0.100, per Fantasy Points Data). The concerning thing for LaPorta during those nine games was his six red zone targets and only one end zone target. Considering that light usage near paydirt, it's not shocking that he had only three touchdowns. That is worrisome, but touchdowns can be a fickle game to project year-to-year. Painting a positive light on that usage is the fact that despite those numbers, LaPorta was still second on the team in not only target share but red zone targets during that stretch. The arrival of Drew Petzing as the offensive coordinator should be viewed as a plus for LaPorta if we are to extract anything from his time in Arizona and his usage of Trey McBride. LaPorta should turn in a strong 2026 season as a top-eight fantasy tight end with top-five upside.

Jared Goff is a wonderful quarterback to take in fantasy yearly. He offers an incredibly high floor with the ceiling to be a low-end QB1 in fantasy. Over the last four years, he has passed for at least 4,438 yards and 29 passing touchdowns yearly, with finishes as the QB13, QB7, QB11, and QB14 in fantasy points per game. Goff won't add anything with his legs (hasn't had more than 99 rushing yards in any season since 2019, but he will pile up the stats through the air. Last year, among 38 qualifying passers, he was sixth in yards per attempt, second in adjusted completion rate, fourth in highly accurate throw rate, and 15th in fantasy points per dropback (per Fantasy Points Data). He's a wonderful pick to pair with an upside QB late in drafts (Tyler Shough or Malik Willis).

Isiah Pacheco lands with the Lions as the change-of-pace back/handcuff for Jahmyr Gibbs. Pacheco's health has been an issue for the last three years, and he is currently dealing with an MCL issue. In a complementary/goal-line role, he could pay dividends for Detroit. If he can recapture any resemblance to the player that posted a 5.4% explosive run rate and 2.77 yards after contact per attempt in 2023 in Detroit, he should pay off for the Lions in 2026 (per Fantasy Points Data). If Gibbs were to miss any time, Pacheco would likely be an RB2 option for fantasy gamers. Pacheco is a handcuff option that I won't be drafting often in 2026.

Isaac TeSlaa barely saw the field as a rookie, but he flashed intriguing upside by turning just 16 receptions into six touchdowns. Detroit clearly believes in the former third-round pick after trading up for him in 2025, and Dan Campbell has already hinted at a potential Year 2 leap. With Kalif Raymond gone, TeSlaa has a clear path to the Lions' No. 3 WR role behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. He's still more dynasty/deep-league upside stash than reliable redraft option, but the athletic traits and red-zone usage are worth monitoring closely.

Lions kicker Jake Bates has one of the strongest legs in the NFL, and he plays for a team that can really pile on the points. Bates has led the NFL in extra points in each of the last two seasons, making 64 of them in 2024 and 54 of them in 2025. Perhaps the worst thing about having Bates as your fantasy kicker is that Lions head coach Dan Campbell is hyper-aggressive about going for it on fourth down, which robs Bates of some FG attempts. But Campbell is also willing to let his kicker try some long-range bombs. Bates was 4-of-9 on FG attempts from 50 yards or longer last season, and two of the misses were from 67 and 65 yards.

The Lions have the easiest schedule in the NFL (specifically through the first 5 weeks of the season). With them also due to experience positive injury regression on the defensive side of the ball, they are an easy sleeper DST to snag with your last pick. Generated the 4th-most passes defended last year (but just 13 interceptions) and a top-10 defense according to DVOA. Also dropped the second-most interceptions (9).