There is more to be learned on this issue, but it stands to reason that the cleanup procedure is linked to the right knee injury he suffered while filling in on punt return duties against the Colts in Week 12. St. Brown was listed as questionable for the Lions’ Week 13, Thanksgiving game against the Bears, but did suit up for the occasion, catching 5-of-7 targets for 73 yards. St. Brown is known for playing through injuries, and doing so effectively, so fantasy managers should not be overly concerned. As long as he makes a full recovery and is indeed on the field by training camp, he should again deliver season-long WR1 results.

St. Brown entered 2024 off the heels of a true breakout season with 119 catches for 1,515 yards. The only blemish, if you can even call it that, was a modest touchdown total of 10. Determined to do right by fantasy managers, ARSB upped the scoring total to 12 as the Detroit offense found yet another gear under Jared Goff. The downside was that his yardage total dropped by 252, primarily driven by a decline of 23 targets, despite St. Brown playing one more game than he did in 2023. Detroit threw less this year, but St. Brown also ceded a few points of target share to Jameson Williams, who finally found his stride after a rocky start to his career. St. Brown remains the team’s No. 1 receiver and an elite fantasy option, but he has likely topped out at a notch below the likes of Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase.

Mr. Reliable served as the primary target for quarterback Jared Goff in a first half where both offenses struggled to move the football, ending the game one target behind Jameson Williams for the team lead while leading the team in receiving with 77 yards. The win clinched the No. 1 seed for the Lions, who head into the postseason with the only bye out of the NFC in addition to home field advantage through the NFC Championship game.

St. Brown led the team in targets with 10 but finished third in receiving behind Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta. He did contribute to another highlight play in the second quarter when he caught a short pass from quarterback jared Goff, pitched the football to Jameson Williams on a hook-and-ladder trick play, which Williams took to the house from 41 yards out. Head coach Dan Campbell told reporters his team would approach this game like any other regardless of it being meaningless in the standings in the conference, and the team did not disappoint with another 40-point effort. St. Brown is sure to be busy again in Week 18 when the Lions play for the No. 1 seed at home against the Vikings.