Detroit Lions DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner writes that Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams looks like a completely different player from a year ago early in training camp. Williams looks stronger through the middle and more explosive with better body control in the air and near the sidelines. Head coach Dan Campbell already said earlier this offseason that the 23-year-old former first-rounder looks like "a man on a mission" in 2024. The former 12th overall pick was recovering from a torn ACL heading into his rookie season and missed time due to a suspension in 2023, so he's been a first-round bust to this point. Williams' big-play ability is undeniable, though, and he has a chance to solidify the WR2 role in Detroit this year behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, which would make him an interesting WR4/flex play in standard-scoring fantasy formats.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick (Achilles) has had an unfortunate run of injury luck. He suffered a torn ACL during the 2022 offseason before a devastating Achilles tear leading up to the 2023 campaign. However, the 30-year-old said he's feeling back to full strength this year. "I felt like myself," Patrick said after practice "I felt twitchy. I felt like I was running [full speed]. Honestly, I think I'm right there where I was three years ago, right now." Patrick was a decent fantasy football contributor in his last full season (2021), as he racked up 53 receptions for 734 yards and five touchdowns. He posted a WR42 finish in PPR leagues. The last time he was on the field for a regular season game, Teddy Bridgewater was his quarterback. A lot has changed since then, and it will be interesting to see if he has any ability left after two major injuries. All that said, Denver has one of the weakest wide receiver groups in the NFL, so he could make at least a small impact in 2024. He should be left on waivers in traditional fantasy leagues, but fantasy managers in ultra-deep leagues can get him in the late rounds of drafts, as he's being selected outside the top 130 wide receivers.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick (Achilles) was one of the standout performers at minicamp practice earlier this week and is recovered from last summer's torn Achilles, the second straight season he suffered a season-ending injury in training camp. "[He brings] those intangibles," head coach Sean Payton said of Patrick. Patrick is 30 years old and hasn't played in the NFL since 2021, so he won't be drafted in most single-year leagues. Also not going in his favor is the uncertainty at the quarterback position for the Broncos entering training camp. However, with Jerry Jeudy now in Cleveland, Patrick has an opportunity to step into the No. 2 role behind Courtland Sutton if he can stay healthy. In his last season in 2021, Patrick was serviceable in fantasy with a career-high 53 catches, 734 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 16 starts.

Detroit Lions running back Sione Vaki was the only player from his position in attendance for practice Tuesday, but he still had a strong showing and continued to push for a spot on the 53-man roster. Specifically, he delivered a big play in 7-on-7s when he beat linebacker DaRon Gilbert on a wheel route to gain several yards. In 11-on-11s, he beat linebacker Ben Niemann to pick up 10 yards. "Vaki was one of the most impressive players from the spring," Pride of Detroit's Jeremy Reisman wrote. "I believe if he can get some of the fundamentals down when it comes to timing and pass protection, he could carve out a role on offense, albeit a relatively small one." These comments are promising, but Vaki stays off the fantasy radar in redraft leagues given that he'll be stuck behind (at least) David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

It's clear that the Detroit Lions want second-year running back Jahmyr Gibbs to be more involved in their offense in 2024 after he rushed for almost 1,000 yards as a rookie and finished third in the league in yards per carry (5.2). Heading into his second year, the Lions are looking for more consistency out of Gibbs, mainly in pass protection, as he was graded 61st out of 63 qualified RBs in pass-blocking in 2023 by PFF. The Lions also want Gibbs to be more involved in the passing game, even though he was in the top 10 among RBs with 52 catches and 71 targets in 2023. His average depth of target, per PFF, was literally zero yards, so Detroit will be looking to use him more in the slot and deeper down the field in 2024. With David Montgomery still in town, Gibbs' ceiling will remain somewhat limited, but if he's more involved as a pass-catcher deeper down the field, he'll still have RB1 upside in PPR leagues.