Detroit Lions DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker was rumored to be a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft in the middle of his stellar final season at Tennessee in 2022. However, he suffered a late-season ACL tear and was ultimately a third-round selection by Detroit. Teddy Bridgewater was Jared Goff's primary backup last season, while Hooker spent most of his debut campaign on the Injured Reserve list. With Bridgewater announcing his retirement this offseason, the 26-year-old is set to move into the QB2 role in 2024. So far at OTAs, the reviews have been promising. "It was fun watching Hendon Hooker sling it in a team setting for the very first time," Colton Pouncy of The Athletic wrote. "Really nice touch on his deep ball. Good velocity. One of his best plays of the day was a deep ball down the right sideline to Daurice Fountain, which drew "oooohs" and "aaahhs" from the team." After Goff signed a four-year extension to remain with the organization, Hooker's narrow path to the starting job closed. However, he can be stashed in deep Superflex or two-QB leagues. If Goff had to miss any time due to injury, the 26-year-old sophomore would have intriguing upside thanks to his rushing ability and pass-catching group headlined by Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta.

Detroit Lions tight end Shane Zylstra (knee), who was out with a knee injury last year, was back at practice at organized team activities last week and looked great. Zylstra picked up right where he left off and was catching everything thrown his way. He showed good chemistry with quarterback Hendon Hooker and the second-team offense. The 27-year-old tight end spent all of the 2023 campaign on Injured Reserve due to a knee injury that he suffered in training camp last summer. Now that he's back and looking good, Zylstra will give the team extra depth at the tight end position behind Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright and James Mitchell. The former undrafted free agent isn't anywhere close to the fantasy radar and has only 14 receptions for 94 yards and four touchdowns since entering the league in 2021.

Denver Broncos veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick (Achilles) is taking part in OTAs this week, according to NFL.com. The 30-year-old suffered a torn ACL during training camp in 2022 and a torn Achilles in 2023's training camp. It's been an unfortunate run of bad luck for the 2017 undrafted free agent, but hopefully, he'll make it to the start of the season in 2024. Patrick caught 164 passes for 1,476 yards and 11 touchdowns in his last 31 games, but considering he hasn't taken the field in two years, it's tough to get excited about his fantasy football outlook. Assuming Patrick's agility and speed haven't been completely zapped by major injuries, he's likely to start the season behind Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds, and Marvin Mims Jr. Troy Franklin and Lil'Jordan Humphrey could also pass him up on the depth chart, depending on how he's moving at this point in his career. The Broncos are likely to have a bottom-ten offense under rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that wide receiver Jameson Williams is a "man on a mission" during offseason workouts this year. The head coach said Williams is the most improved player since the start of the spring. It's high praise for the 23-year-old former 12th overall pick in 2022 out of Ohio State. Williams was recovering from a torn ACL in his rookie campaign and played in just six games. He was suspended in 2023 and finished with 24 receptions, 354 yards and two touchdowns in 12 regular-season games (10 starts) in Year 2. Williams has lots of big-play ability and should have a bigger role in Detroit's offense in his third year in 2024, but there are a lot of mouths to feed and he should still be a distant No. 3 behind receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and stud tight end Sam LaPorta. He's worth a flier late in fantasy drafts as a potential breakout candidate.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond (knee) was photographed participating in OTAs on Wednesday, via the team website. There hasn't been much information available regarding Raymond's status until this latest development, which suggests that he has made progress in his recovery ever since missing the NFC Championship in January. Raymond managed to carve out a role on offense despite competing for targets with plenty of offensive playmakers. He finished 2023 with 35 catches, 489 yards, and one touchdown over 17 games (three starts), serving as a reliable option for Jared Goff. This year, Raymond will once again be in play for a non-zero target share given his familiarity with Detroit's offense. However, he remains off the fantasy radar in most formats as he operates behind the likes of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta.