The Detroit Lions will have multiple players primed for big roles in 2024.
The Detroit Lions are a fantastic roster with several flashy young players to watch. And, Detroit was one good half of football away from playing in last seasons Super Bowl, ultimately falling short in the NFC Championship to the San Francisco 49ers. They’re also starting to emerge as a top team in the NFC, which is a complete 180 under head coach Dan Campbell. What used to be a place where player careers went to die has now turned into a dark horse candidate to win a championship. But to meet those lofty expectations, these three players are going to have to show up this season.
Amon-Ra St. Brown
I have been on the Amon-Ra St. Brown hype train for years now (mainly because he’s help me win several fantasy leagues). And now, he’s started to emerge as a top five receiver in the NFL in the Lions offense. As a favorite target of Jared Goff, St. Brown has been on another level. Last year, he had career highs in receptions (119), receiving yards (1515) and touchdowns (10) and was selected first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career.
The next closest receiver on the team posted 600 yards receiving and has left to go play for the Denver Broncos (Kalif Raymond). Amon-Ra is the superstar on this offense. And, he just earned himself a massive four-year, $120 million extension this offseason.
We’ve seen star players regress the season after receiving their massive payday. However, for the Lions continued success, Amon-Ra is going to have to show that he is money well spent. He’s secured the bag, now it’s time for him to go and secure the hardware.
Alex Anzalone
One of the “older” members of this team at 29 years old, Alex Anzalone is another player coming off a career-best season. Anzalone had a career high in solo and total tackles (85 and 129), sacks (3) and quarterback hits (12). NFL.com recently claimed Anzalone as one of the most underrated members of the Lions team, and it’s hard to disagree.
Anzalone’s veteran presence on the team provides reliability at the linebacker position. His leadership allows coach Campbell to be able to dial up special blitz packages for the remainder of the team. Anzalone not only provides leadership on the field, however.
Anzalone has been used to turn second-year linebacker Jack Campbell into a force to be reckoned with, creating one of the best linebacker duos in the league. If Anzalone can continue his high level play and mentorship of Campbell, the Lions should stay at the top of the NFC for the foreseeable future.
Aidan Hutchinson
The young cornerstone on the defensive line, Aidan Hutchinson had a good sophomore season. And, the third-year player is poised for a massive breakout in 2024. After having 11.5 sacks and being selected to his first Pro Bowl, Hutchinson has entered Lions’ training camp hungry and ready to go.
Hutchinson is now a franchise player. However, to help the Lions reach their first Super Bowl, he is going to have to emerge as an elite pass rusher. Adding Marcus Davenport and DJ Reader to steer attention away from Hutchinson should help him continue to dominate.
If Hutchinson is able to make the jump to an elite pass rusher, there might be no stopping the Lions defense this season. However, it all starts up front with Hutchinson.
Overall, the Lions are likely to win the NFC North again this season. They should also make a considerable post season run in the process. The offense is high-powered with young talent, and the defense is littered with experience and youth. This team is poised for another playoff run in January. If these three players step up as true leaders on the gridiron, then Eminem might no longer be the only one from Detroit having performed in a Super Bowl!
Randy Vuxta
Randy Vuxta (@RandallVuxta) is a beat writer covering sports picks and dynasty/redraft content for The League Winners with a little over a decade playing fantasy football. Before joining the staff, he studied Journalism and Sports Business management and created The Randy Report, a YouTube channel dedicated to covering all things sports. When he’s not watching game film or the latest Marvel release, he can be found on Twitch streaming everything from Spider-Man to NBA2K. Randy looks to not only win every league he joins, but help others achieve that goal as well.