Lions notes: Detroit’s running backs could win you your fantasy league

The Detroit Lions made a change at offensive coordinator this offseason, letting go of Jim Bob Cooter and replacing him with former Seattle Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell. Bevell has been known for his power run offenses in the past, and many predict that he will implement his former scheme in Detroit.

This means a lot of carries for second-year running back Kerryon Johnson and newly signed C.J. Anderson. More volume means more yards, which makes them valuable targets for your fantasy draft this summer.

Danny Heifetz of The Ringer listed running back corps around the league that will make or break fantasy leagues in 2019, and listed Detroit alongside the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens as backfields that fantasy players may want to keep an eye on as they build their big boards.

Heifetz mentioned that:

From 2015 to 2017, Bevell oversaw a Seahawks offense that was 23rd in pass attempts (33.6 per game) and eighth in rush attempts (27.3 per game). Late last month, Bevell made it clear he was instilling his philosophy into Detroit’s offense.

• Detroit Lions cornerback Darius Slay appeared on The Pride Podcast Thursday, in his first interview since he decided to hold out of minicamp last week.

• While there may be a rift between former Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson and Detroit, he is still active within the NFL. Johnson appeared at Atlanta Falcons mini camp today, per team reporter Kelsey Conway.

• CBS Sports’ Sean Wagner-McGough ranked every NFL division by the strength of its running backs. While one would expect the NFC North to rank highly on the list—as it features Johnson, Aaron Jones, Tarik Cohen and Dalvin Cook—Wagner-McGough is not very high in the division. He ranks the division seventh out of eight, citing consistency issues. He does mention the potential the division does have, though.

• Detroit traded tight end Michael Roberts to the New England Patriots on Thursday. The former fourth-round pick failed to make a sustained impact for the team, but per PFF Detroit Lions, he did have some incredible single game performances.