The Lions struggled with injuries at the fantasy relevant offensive positions in 2009, but they return this season with a ton of young talent, including Matt Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and Brandon Pettigrew. The team also added Jahvid Best via the NFL Draft, Tony Scheffler via a trade, and Nate Burleson via free agency.

Rookie Jahvid Best is expected to replace Kevin Smith as Detroit's workhorse in 2010, which means big things for his fantasy value.

QB: Matt Stafford : 317-of-556 , 3646 yards , 21 TD , 21 INT , 33 carries , 131 yards , 2 TD – Stafford is quietly a decent QB2 option and has a ton of weapons in his second season. Improving his INT rate could improve his numbers even more.

RB: Jahvid Best : 238 carries , 903 yards , 6 TD , 75 targets , 52 receptions , 412 yards , 2 TD – It’s looking more and more like Kevin Smith will be nothing more than a backup (assuming he’s healthy) in 2010. Best needs to shore up his blocking, but he should be on the field a ton and when you consider how reliant Detroit was on their RB1 last season, it’s hard not be high on Best. He could easily be a top 10 PPR back.

WR: Calvin Johnson : 155 targets , 76 receptions , 1137 yards , 8 TD – Projecting as a top 10 fantasy WR in 2010, Johnson should benefit from Stafford having a year of experience under his belt. He is one of the safest bets for 10+ targets each and every week.

WR: Nate Burleson : 86 targets , 49 receptions , 624 yards , 3 TD – Burleson had a huge start to the 2009 season with Seattle, but fell off the map with the rest of that offense as the year went on. He signed a long term deal with Detroit this past offseason and should be in line for a decent workload as the WR2.

TE: Tony Scheffler : 80 targets , 48 receptions , 621 yards , 5 TD – Many will argue that Pettigrew will still see a majority of the TE targets, but I’m not convinced quite yet. Scheffler is still very young and considered to be a very good pass catching TE. They plan to work both TEs into the passing game and Pettigrew is coming off a bad injury. Scheffler is still a risky fantasy pick because Pettigrew will steal looks, but he is a decent TE2 option nonetheless.

TE: Brandon Pettigrew : 52 targets , 28 receptions , 322 yards , 2 TD – I was extremely high on Pettigrew heading into this season, but the addition of Scheffler kills any redraft value he might have had. The thought is that Detroit will also try to sign Scheffler long term, which is smart for the franchise, but not good for Pettigrew’s dynasty value. Stafford relied on him heavily last season when both were healthy, but I just don’t see a scenario where he puts up fantasy relevant numbers as long as Scheffler is on the field.

Running Backs –

Maurice Morris – I’m fairly certain that I was the only one talking this cat up all week and it paid off with a huge effort on Sunday. I speculated that Morris could touch the ball close to 20 times and he responded with 17 carries for 126 yards and a rushing touchdown along with 6 looks, 5 receptions, and 35 receiving yards. That’s a solid 20+ point effort in most formats.

Advice: I see no reason why anything would change in weeks 16 and 17. Morris should continue to approach 20 touches each week unless the team decides to give Aaron Brown a chance to show what he do. I can’t guarantee Morris will go over the century mark again, but he’s a solid RB2 play in 12 team leagues.

Jerome Harrison – Not many people had Harrison in their lineup this week and rightfully so. There was no telling if Harrison would see most of the looks, or if it would be Chris Jennings, who saw 20 carries in week 14, compared to just 7 for Harrison. Still, even has the backup, Harrison should’ve been considered a very deep sleeper up against the porous Chiefs. He showed up big time with 34 carries, 286 yards, and 3 touchdowns in what is the biggest fantasy performance by a running back this season. This is not Harrison’s first big game of the season. Back in week 4 he went for 152 yards on 34 touches, but the next week he touched the ball just 8 times with Jamal Lewis back in the fold. Lewis is gone now, but Jennings is still in the mix in Cleveland.

Advice: You almost have to consider Harrison in your flex spot for week 16, but you shouldn’t feel comfortable about it and you won’t hear me recommending it. The Browns run offense has been anything but effective for a majority of the season and the split in carries has been off the charts inconsistent. He has upside, but don’t be shocked if he ends up with 28 total yards on 9 touches.

Michael Bush – An injury to Justin Fargas allowed Michael Bush to rush for 133 yards and a score on 18 carries against Denver on Sunday. Prior to that game, Bush had carried the ball only 8 times since week 11. Fargas’ injury seems to be minor and if he is back in the fold next week, Bush cannot be relied on for double-digit looks once again. Although you’d expect him to see more looks after such a strong effort, it’s still a three-headed monster in Oakland.

Advice: Unless Fargas is out or Coach Cable says otherwise, Bush is third in line for carries and should not be considered in any format. If Fargas is out or Bush is named the RB2, those of you in very deep leagues who are desperate for help at your flex spot can consider his services.

Jason Snelling – Michael Turner made his return in week 15, which led to the masses dropping Snelling. Turner lasted only 1 carry before sitting out the rest of the game and it’s unknown whether he will suit up for the rest of the season, especially considering that Atlanta has been eliminated from the playoffs. Snelling ended up with only 64 yards, but did have an intriguing 21 looks, which was 10 more than seen by Jerious Norwood.

Advice: Snelling has done an okay job filling in for Turner when he’s missed time and that, coupled with the fact that he could start the team’s final 2 games, means he’s worth consideration as a flex play going forward. That said, if Turner plays, Snelling should not be in your lineup.

Derrick Ward – Whenever I’ve had an empty roster spot this season, Ward has been a player I’ve consistently turned to. Cadillac Williams has stayed relatively healthy so it hasn’t quite paid off as I’d hoped, but consider that in week 15, Ward carried the ball 19 times compared to 12 for Williams. Williams did, however, rack up 88 total yards on 13 touches, which was more efficient than the 73 yards on 20 touches for Ward. Neither has been overly impressive this season, but it’s worth keeping an eye on the timeshare.

Advice: You can’t rely on 20 touches for Ward unless news breaks that he is the new starter. If you have a roster spot to fill, he’s a good speculative pick for your bench, but nothing more right now.

Wide Receivers –

Lance Moore – Moore was back in the fold in week 15 and took advantage by scoring a touchdown despite only 2 looks. Despite the score, two looks should concern you if you’re considering using him in week 16 for several reasons. (a) It’s two looks. That’s not a lot (b) The Saints threw the ball 45 times, which is almost a dozen more pass attempts than they average a game this season and (c) The percentage of passes going to his teammates was about the same as in recent weeks. I’d mention that Jeremy Shockey was out as another reason to be skeptical of Moore, but David Thomas filled in with a whopping 10 targets, which is more than even Shockey is accustomed to.

Advice: Moore will always have decent potential because of the outstanding offense he is a part of, but he’s going to have trouble finding playing time with all the stars around him. At this point, he’s only worth a desperate play in a deep league.

Malcom Floyd – Floyd didn’t exactly light it up after Chris Chambers was cut loose, but he’s now been targeted a total of 16 times over the last 2 games. That is a healthy number for a player not being used in most leagues, but part of the reason for that is the fact that he’s caught only 7 of those 16 balls.

Advice: Any player seeing 8 targets a game in an above average offense is worth keeping an eye on. Floyd isn’t the safest play, but he has a ton of upside and is worth consideration in WR-deep leagues.

Josh Morgan has now been targeted at least 8 times in 3 of the 49ers last 4 games.

Josh Morgan – One of the most popular sleepers heading into this season, Morgan has been a disappointment for fantasy owners who reached on him in their draft. He’s quietly been picking it up over the last few weeks, as he’s now been targeted 8 times in 3 of the 49ers last 4 games. His numbers from the last four games (which includes a 3-catch, 14-yard week 14 effort) total to 29 targets, 22 receptions, 174 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Morgan is the third option in San Francisco with Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis keeping Alex Smith busy, but he’s a talented receiver yet to break out who is now seeing almost double-digits in looks every game.

Advice: Definitely worth considering in deeper leagues and someone you should definitely snag for your bench if you’re in any type of dynasty league. The Gore-Crabtree-Morgan-V Davis offense has tons of potential.

Tight Ends –

Bo Scaife – Although Scaife is anything but a gamebreaker, he’s been extremely consistent over the last 6 games and is worth a mention. In those six games, he’s been targeted 42 times, has 25 receptions, 261 yards, and 1 score. He was targeted 10 times on one occasion and has caught 5 balls three times. His high for yardage is 68. What does that all mean? It means he’s a safe play for close to 8 points in PPR formats and considering all the targets, it’s only a matter of time before he gets into the endzone again.

Advice: Again, he doesn’t have a ton of breakout potential, but he’s safe for 4 catches, 50 yards. If you’re desperate for tight end help and looking around on the Waiver Wire, he’s worth a look.

Quick Hits and Follow Ups –

Arian Foster / Ryan Moats / Chris Brown – I’ve been preaching this and preaching this. Stay away from Houston running backs. Everyone was excited about Foster this week and I just didn’t understand it. All it takes is one fumble and the “starter” gets sent to the bench for the rest of the game. Anyone who owned Steve Slaton or Ryan Moats knows all about this. If you played Foster in week 15, now you do, too.

Felix Jones – His touches continue to increase over the last month or two and it’s something worth keeping an eye on. Since week 11, he’s seen no fewer than 9 looks in any given week. His latest effort was 15 looks (14 touches) against the Saints. He racked up 68 yards on those touches and is still averaging just under 6 yards per carry.

Greg Camarillo – Mentioned him last week after he was targeted 17 times in 2 games. Make it 27 times in 3 games after 10 more looks this week. He only caught 5 of them for 46 yards, but bump him up a few notches on your watch list.

Devin Aromashodu – Devin Hester was out again so another guy I mentioned last week saw significant action. Aromashodu saw 10 more targets, but disappointed in the execution part of the deal with only 2 receptions for 10 yards. Hard to recommend him going forward, but if Hester is out again in week 16, those double-digit targets in back-to-back weeks make him worth consideration in deeper leagues.

Bernard Berrian – 7 targets, 5 catches, 36 yards. 6 targets , 4 catches , 43 yards . 5 targets, 3 catches , 25 yards. Those are Berrian’s stat lines from his last three games. Add to the equation that Brett Favre and the running game are struggling and that 6-4-35 average line feels even worse.

Kevin Curtis – Back in the fold in week 15, but was targeted only twice. Jeremy Maclin should still be out in week 16, but there is no reason to believe Curtis will see more than 4-5 looks a game going forward with Jackson, Celek, Avant, and Brown ahead of him for looks. He has potential because this offense is so stellar, but he’s not worth the gamble this week.

Runningbacks:

Sammy Morris – I talked about Morris’ return to the lineup last week and it’s worth expanding on with another game in the books. In week 13, Morris was looked at 11 times, which was only 3 fewer than what Maroney saw. This past Sunday, Maroney carried the ball 22 times and targeted an additional 3 times. Morris, meanwhile, carried it only 6 times and was looked at a total of 9 times. Kevin Faulk was also in the mix in week 14, racking up 13 of the team’s 47 RB looks. Although Maroney still appears to be unquestioned starter, don’t get too comfortable, especially considering Fred Taylor could be back any day now.

Advice: Morris should only be the lineups of desperate owners in very deep leagues. He’s worth holding as a handcuff to Maroney in standard leagues, but nothing more.

Shonn Greene – Greene was a hot add when Leon Washington went down for the season earlier this year, but the looks just aren’t coming for the rookie. Over the last five games, he’s been looked at 7, 4, 11, 11, and 6 times, respectively. Those aren’t big numbers, but they aren’t bad for a backup. Consider that the Jets are the league’s run heaviest team (at 59% run, they run it 7% more than the next closest team) and Greene is an injury to 31-year-old Thomas Jones away from seeing a majority of the 36 carries the team averages a game. Think about how valuable Ricky Williams is now that Ronnie Brown is out of his way in Miami. Same concept.

Advice: Unless you’re in a very shallow league, Greene should be on someone’s bench. Sure there are only 2-3 weeks left in the regular season, but if Jones goes down this week, Greene is a must-start the rest of the way.

Arian Foster – I talked about Foster a bit on Twitter ( @FDC_MikeClay ) last week as a player who could be called upon should Gary Kubiak turn his attention away from Chris Brown or Ryan Moats. Kubiak followed cue, providing Foster with a team-high 17 looks in the Texans’ week 14 game. Moats touched the ball 11 times and scored the team’s only rushing touchdown, while Brown carried the ball only 3 times. Foster managed only 34 yards on 14 carries, but did open some eyes with 54 receiving yards on 4 targets (4 catches).

Advice: If you’ve been shuffling your bench spots between Moats and Brown, Foster is someone to add to the mix. He’s worth a bench spot for now, but I wouldn’t feel overly confident with him in my lineup until we see what his role is going forward. Pay attention to what Gary Kubiak has to say this week. If he officially moves Foster ahead of Brown on the depth chart, he’s definitely worth a roster spot in most leagues and not the worst flex play in deeper formats.

Kenneth who? Rams backup RB Kenneth Darby would have significant fantasy value if Steven Jackson were to miss any time with an injury.

Kenneth Darby – At this point in the fantasy season, your bench should be mostly filled with handcuffs who would make a huge impact should the player in front of them go down with an injury. Enter Kenneth Darby, who is currently the backup RB to Steven Jackson. Darby is nothing spectacular on his own, but consider that Jackson leads the NFL in looks and touches and is responsible for 84% of the Rams’ rushing attempts this season. If he were to miss a week (he’s been on the injury report for weeks now), wouldn’t you want Darby on your side?

Advice: In all but the shallowest of leagues, Darby is a must own for Steven Jackson owners. In standard-to-deep leagues, he’s a player worth stashing on the bench if you have a spot.

Runningback Committees:

Chris Jennings/Jerome Harrison – I touched on this committee last week, but that was after a game that saw Harrison out-‘look’ Jennings 21-7 in week 13. It was a different story against the Steelers in week 14. Jennings carried the ball 20 times and scored once to account for all his looks. Harrison meanwhile carried it only 7 times for 9 yards and was targeted three times.

Advice: The Browns running game has been awful this season and this unlikely to change regardless of who is carrying the ball. Jennings and, to a lesser extent, Harrison are worth consideration in deep leagues, but you don’t want to be starting either one of them.

Maurice Morris / Aaron Brown – Kevin Smith is out for the season, which means Maurice Morris and rookie Aaron Brown (likely in that order) take over. Smith is currently ninth in the entire NFL in looks, which means there are plenty to go around. Morris has carried it 42 times this season, which is the 2nd most on the team, and has been targeted 19 times. Comparatively, Brown has 21 carries and 11 targets to his name.

Advice: Morris has been battling injuries and it’s worth considering that the team could give the rookie Brown a shot to handle the majority of the looks, but until we hear or see otherwise, Morris is the player you want to claim on the waiver wire in all formats. Brown is worth a pickup for your bench in deeper leagues.

Brandon Jacobs / Ahmad Bradshaw – It should be surprising to see Jacobs name here considering that he is owned in all leagues, but this is more about Bradshaw, who needs to be considered in more. Very quietly, he has taken on a bigger load and has basically split the workload 50/50 with Jacobs over the last month. In the last four games that both players were active, Jacobs has 51 carries for 205 yards and 3 TDs. He’s caught 5 of his 7 targets for 97 yards and a score. Meanwhile, Bradshaw carried it 47 times for 175 yards and 1 score. He was targeted 10 times and caught 7 for 73 yards. Clearly, Jacobs has been more of a fantasy asset thanks to the 3 additional TDs, but he’s done it on only 1 more look than Bradshaw.

Advice: Jacobs is still a must-start in all 12-team formats, but his value isn’t quite where it was a year ago. Bradshaw isn’t the worst flex option in 12-team leagues, but you shouldn’t feel too comfortable with him in there. He’s definitely worth considering in deeper leagues.

Julius Jones / Justin Forsett – After Jones saw 17 more looks than Forsett in week 13 (25-to-8), it seemed that the veteran had earned his job back as the feature back. That was not the case in week 14 as Jones was looked at only 12 times, while Forsett touched the ball 13 times. Jones had one more carry and was more effective in the ground game than Forsett, but Forsett racked up 47 receiving yards on 4 targets (4 receptions), while Jones managed only 1 reception on 2 targets for 4 yards.

Advice: There is no telling who will see more of the looks in week 15 and beyond, but the most likely scenario is that they will split the workload down the middle. Neither should be treated as anything more than a flex play in 12-team leagues, but both should be considered in 16 team leagues.

Wide Receivers:

Greg Camarillo – Camarillo’s production has been extremely inconsistent all season long and the constant rotation between him, Ginn, Bess, and Hartline does not make things any easier to predict. That said, Henne has looked his way 17 times over the last 2 weeks, which grabbed my attention and it should have yours as well if you’re scraping for WR help in deeper leagues. 10 of those looks did come in week 13 when the team threw the ball an unorthodox 52 times (37 was their previous high on the season), but he was then targeted on 7 of the team’s 29 pass attempts in week 14, which was a team high. He caught all 7 passes for 110 yards, which is a solid 18 point PPR effort.

Advice: Not the most reliable option, but Henne is throwing his way and this wouldn’t be the first time he made an impact in PPR leagues. The odds of him scoring are slim, but if you’re looking to fill that last WR slot in 12-team PPR leagues, Camarillo is likely one of the best options on your waiver wire.

Julian Edelman – Unlikely to make a significant impact as long as Wes Welker and Randy Moss are racking up the looks, but Sam Aiken was out with a shoulder injury in week 14 and the rookie Edelman returned from his own injury. He was targeted only once in the game, but it’s always worth keeping the Patriots WR3 on your radar.

Advice: Really only worth a bench spot in deeper leagues at this point, but should also be considered as a handcuff for Welker owners.

Pierre Garcon / Austin Collie – Did you know that Pierre Garcon has been targeted 90 times this season? That’s more than Marques Colston, Devin Hester, Davone Bess, and Roy Williams. In fact, over the last 6 games, Garcon has actually been targeted more than any other Colt, with 3 more than Reggie Wayne and 5 more than Dallas Clark. In that span, he saw 54 targets and caught 27 for 456 yards and 2 scores. Clark and Wayne have more receptions and touchdowns, but Garcon has significantly more yardage. 9 targets a game is hard to find and it’s especially impressive considering he is the team’s third option in the pass game. To a lesser extent, Collie is worth mentioning. He has a touchdown in each of the last 2 games and is up to 6 on the season. He’s averaging nearly 7 looks a game, which is a healthy dose, especially considering who is throwing the ball to him. I’ve seen him dropped in a few leagues and that shouldn’t be happening.

Advice: Both are must owns in 12-team leagues. Garcon should be starting for someone and Collie is at least worth a bench spot.

Jason Avant / Reggie Brown – Jeremy Maclin is out a week or two, which cements these two into larger roles for the next, well, week or two. Maclin was seeing between 6-9 targets each week and those need to be spread around. Maclin was out in week 12 and the two combined for only 6 looks. Avant by himself was averaging nearly that over the last 4 games. Most were disappointed with that effort and many people will be down on both of them going into week 15. You shouldn’t be, especially Avant. The Eagles ran only 52 offensive plays against the Giants, which is their 3rd lowest output of the season and ran the ball 5% more than they normally do.

Advice: The Eagles will pass the ball and they like to spread it around. DeSean Jackson and Brent Celek will get plenty of work, but there are still plenty of looks to go around. Expect 6-8 looks for Avant in week 15 and 3-5 for Brown.

Devin Aromashodu – Bless you! With 12 targets, 8 receptions, 76 yards, and a score in week 14, Aromashodu is sure to be a hot commodity on your league’s waiver wire for people desperately looking for WR help. Should you get into the mix? I say yes. Despite the fact that Devin Hester was inactive for the game, Cutler has campaigned for Aromashodu to see more work and the Bears are the 3rd pass heaviest team in the league. His stock will take a hit if Hester is active in week 15, but don’t be surprised if he is Cutler’s second, if not first, option.

Advice: If you’re looking for someone to take a chance on at WR in 12-team or deeper leagues, Aromashodu is your man. There is a lot of risk here, but the reward could be another game with double-digit looks.

The St. Louis Rams added a much needed wide receiver today when they acquired Ronald Curry from the Detroit Lions. Curry, who spent last season with the Oakland Raiders, signed with the Lions earlier this offseason, but became expendable after they drafted Derrick Williams, signed Bryant Johnson, and acquired Dennis Northcutt in a trade with the Jaguars.

The Lions will now look to Calvin and Bryant Johnson, Northcutt, Williams, John Standeford, and Adam Jennings to carry the receiving load.

Meanwhile, Curry will likely compete for a starting job alongside Donnie Avery. Keenan Burton and Laurent Robinson will be his main competition for the job. Derek Stanley and rookie Brooks Foster are also in the running.

Complete St. Louis Rams Fantasy Depth Chart

Complete Detroit Lions Fantasy Depth Chart

Winning at Fantasy Football can be as much about being lucky as having skill. Winning CONSISTENTLY takes research, intuition and educated risk taking. Any fantasy rookie can draft Adrian Peterson and win the waiver wire lottery to pick up guys like Steve Slaton and Matt Cassel and go on to a dominant fantasy season, but a seasoned fantasy veteran can overcome a rookie’s luck with smart drafting and good matchup plays. In fact, a veteran’s best weapons against rookie luck are sleeper picks. When it comes to sleepers, everyone has their own list. However, those lists tend to share a lot of the same players, making it harder to acquire more than one or two in any given draft. Every fantasy team owner needs a few “out-of-the-box”, left-field, depth-chart dodos (It’s a dead bird. Look it up.) that they can take a chance on late in drafts. Hot sleepers go quick and early. Snooze-bar sleepers will hold until the final rounds so you can nap on them a bit (Hence the term “Snooze-bar”). In fact, these sleepers are so deep that they can often be picked up as free agents. The trick, however, is already having them on your roster before the frenzy begins after they show out on gameday. How many Tom Brady owners last year sweated out waivers, hoping to land Cassel? These sleepers are usually an injury or new coach/coordinator away from an opportunity to become relevant and often don’t even make the list in preseason position rankings. In an effort to dig up the deepest of the deep, I’ll be exploring some of these rankings roadkills to help uncover those that might rise up to become opponent eating, stat crapping zombies of the waiver wire apocalypse. For the inaugural post, I’ve brought an old friend:

Daunte Culpepper QB, Detroit Lions

Why no one wants him:
Well, to be honest, the last few seasons have been putrid. Absolute crap. Downright Ryan Leaf-ian. Culpepper has been the failed savior for two consecutive teams and is now on his fourth different roster in four years. Since his monster season in 2004 (4717 YDs, 39 TDs), Culpepper has thrown 17 TDs to 26 INTs over four seasons. Also, Culpepper’s devastating injury in 2005 and the resulting weight gain all but eliminated the once potent threat of his running ability. To top it off, he will be playing on a team that just guaranteed Matthew Stafford $42 million.

Why you should want him:
At the moment, there is no guarantee that Stafford will open the season as Detroit’s starting QB. New Lion’s head coach Jim Schwartz learned the head coaching ropes from Jeff Fisher, the same guy that was content to let Steve McNair sit for a year before giving him the reins. Detroit’s new Offensive Coordinator, Scott Linehan was Culpepper’s O.C. and QB coach in Minnesota from 2002 to 2004. Culpepper knows this offense inside and out, averaging 4,016 YDs and 27 TDs in Linehan’s scheme. Culpepper has shown up to camp lighter and fitter than he’s been in years and has looked sharp in early practices. His stint in Miami was evidence that he came back from his injury too early and out of shape. He now looks fit and hungry. Culpepper knows that Stafford will be the guy in Detroit sooner or later and is looking to cash in as a FA in the next few years. A good performance this year will open a few wallets in the off-season. Lastly, Culpepper has Calvin Johnson to be his new Randy Moss. Johnson managed 1331 YDs and 12 TDs despite the hot pail of sick that was Detroit’s offense last year. Images of Culpepper-to-Moss should now be dancing in your head. Under Scott Linehan, Culpepper and Moss connected for an average of 88 RECs, 1248 YDs & 12 TDs.

Things that can change:
Well, the only major alteration will be if Stafford is named the starter from Day One. At that point Culpepper will need Stafford to get hurt or drop a deuce on the field. If that happens, Culpepper should be a serious consideration if you are suffering through another season of platooning Jake Delhomme and Matt Schaub’s backup.