Amon-Ra

St. Brown

St. Brown tied for second on the team in targets but still left fantasy managers scrambling for answers after investing a first-round pick in the talented wide receiver. Fellow wide receiver Jameson Williams stole the show on this night, erupting for 121 yards and a score through the air, something that isn’t overly likely to be the new norm in Detroit. Even so, the emergence of Williams as a viable threat in this offense could make a small dent in the weekly target expectations for St. Brown moving forward. Don’t get it twisted, you’re starting St. Brown with confidence.

St. Brown’s deal, with $77 million in guarantees, makes him the league’s highest paid wide receiver. He’ll average $28 million per year over the next four seasons. St. Brown’s 225 receptions since the start of the 2022 season ranks third in the NFL behind CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill. He’s sixth in targets over that two-year span and fifth in receiving yardage. A menace in the slot and the centerpiece of Detroit’s offense, St. Brown has established himself as an elite route runner and yards-after-the catch maven. St. Brown, 24, the 112th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, will remain a key part of the Lions offense for years to come.

The conversation between the Lions’ brass and ARSB’s representatives is expected to go down at some point during the NFL Scouting Combine. A former fourth-round pick of the 2021 draft class, St. Brown has more than out-played his rookie contract and is set to be a free agent after next season. St. Brown has caught 315 passes for 3,588 yards and 21 touchdowns through three seasons, averaging more than 100 receptions per year. One of the league’s premier producers, the Lions would be wise to get St. Brown under contract early in the offseason as several other key players will soon be due extensions in the near future.

St. Brown made good on the offseason buzz in 2023, finishing as the WR4 in PPR points per game behind only CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill, and Keenan Allen. He is likely to find himself drafted in the middle of the first round in redraft formats after ending the 2023 offseason near the one-two turn. St. Brown enters the final year of his rookie contract with a looming team option after the 2024 season, likely looking at a lucrative extension or contract elsewhere following the coming league year.

St. Brown led the Lions with 14 targets and caught a perfectly-thrown 16-yard touchdown from Jared Goff in the fourth quarter to put the Lions up two touchdowns against Tampa. St. Brown, as usual, proved to be Goff’s favorite third down target and got open at will against a mediocre Bucs secondary. The test will be tougher in the NFC Championship Game against a solid 49ers coverage unit. St. Brown could be in for another double-digit target outing against the pass-funnel San Francisco defense.

It was business as usual for St. Brown in this one, never able to be contained while showcasing his growing technical route-running abilities. He paced the team in receiving but watched as rookie tight end Sam LaPorta caught the team’s lone passing touchdown on the evening. St. Brown and the rest of the Lions pass-catchers get a solid on-paper matchup in the Divisional Round, regardless of who triumphs between the Eagles and Buccaneers on Monday night.

St. Brown’s day was highlighted by a 70-yard touchdown to start the fourth quarter. He and Jared Goff connected on a deep throw that required several yards after the catch and a few evaded defenders to get into the end zone. ARSB was one of many starters who also suffered an injury scare in the win, as he briefly left the game with what appeared to be a core injury before returning to finish out the game. Sam LaPorta exited the game with what appeared to be a knee injury and did not return to the game. If he’s unable to return for the Lions’ wild card game, ARSB could be in line for a high-volume outing next weekend.

St. Brown had a relatively quiet night by his standards before the final drive of the game when he linked up with Jared Goff from 11 yards out to punctuate a two-minute drive. The score would bring the Lions within a point but the ultra-aggressive Dan Campbell elected to go for two to try and steal the victory away then and there. Three two-point tries later following two penalties, the Lions would ultimately fall just short of keeping their dream of the top seed in the NFC alive. St. Brown could be held out of action in Week 18 assuming the 49ers and Eagles win on Sunday, which would leave the Lions locked into the three-seed heading into the postseason.

After laboring through a four-game slump of sub-100-yard performances, ARSB is back to his fantasy-dominating ways. He has 128 yards and two scores on 19 catches over the past two weeks. Unsurprisingly, his recent rebound has coincided with a pair of Detroit wins. With the Lions’ offense back on track, St. Brown will rank as a WR1 for his Week 17 matchup with the Cowboys.

It was a big day for the Lions’ passing attack, as quarterback Jared Goff threw for 278 yards and five touchdowns in the blowout win. While the touchdowns largely belonged to Sam LaPorta, St. Brown did manage to find his way into the end zone late in the first quarter. Saturday’s performance was a big one for St. Brown, who entered the day with just five receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown over his last two games. Now back in his groove, St. Brown will be on the WR1 radar next week against the Vikings.