Wide Receiver · Detroit Lions
Amon-Ra St. Brown — 2026 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis by Shawn Childs, from his 2026 guide — his words, unedited.
The case
- · St. Brown has 90 catches or more in five consecutive seasons, while receiving elite WR1 status over his past three years – 119/1,539/10, 115/1,269/12, and 117/1,410/11.
- · He’s been the third-best wide receiver in PPR formats over the past three seasons (331.90, 317.90, and 324.00).
- · His ceiling tends to be less explosive than the best wide receiver in the game, but St. Brown posted two impact showing in 2025 (9/122/3 and 13/164/2). Over the past four years, he’s had two outcomes higher than 30.00 PPR fantasy points each season.
- · He had 10 targets or more in nine of his 17 starts last year, with a floor of 15.00 PPR fantasy points in 11 contests (10 in 2024 and 14 in 2023 – most consistent wideout that year).
- · Detroit ranks third in PPR fantasy points for wide receivers in 2025 (226/3,082/24 on 335 targets), thanks to ranking second in touchdowns.
Question marks
- · Last year, I saw many fantasy teams draft running backs and wide receivers with less proven resumes in front of St. Brown, highlighted by Brian Thomas and Malik Nabers.
- · Will the Lions run a more balanced offense than last year (2025: ran the ball 43.2% of the time, compared to 49.2% in 2024)?
- · Detroit plays @MIN, NYG, and @CHI from Week 15 to Week 17.
Shawn's conclusion
Even though I have both Dallas’ wide receivers projected higher than Amon-Ra St. Brown, I would still select the Lions’ stud wideout first due to his consistency factor. At the same time, I’m showing that George Pickens appears to be overlooked in the second round.
More on Brown
St. Brown picked up in 2022 right where he left off in his rookie season (90/973/6), opening the season with winning targets (12, 12, and 9), leading to 23 catches for 253 yards and three scores. An ankle injury wiped out Week 4 and dulled his production over the following three contests (1/4, 7/69, and 4/55), but he was dominant the rest of the way, catching 67 of 87 targets for 762 yards and three touchdowns over his final nine games.
St. Brown had a floor of six catches in eight of those nine outings and delivered three standout performances (10/119, 9/122/1, and 11/114/2). He closed the season with career highs across the board (106 catches, 1,161 yards, six touchdowns, and 146 targets). Detroit also used him sparingly as a runner (9/95).
The goal for St. Brown entering 2023 was to stretch the field more consistently, and he delivered — his receptions of 20 or more yards doubled from 11 to 24, pushing his yards per catch to a career-best 12.7. St. Brown broke every personal record he had set the year before, finishing with 119 catches, 1,515 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 163 targets. He topped 100 receiving yards in nine games and scored fewer than 15.00 fantasy points just twice all season, while missing only one game with an abdominal injury in Week 5. Detroit rewarded him with a four-year, $120 million extension after the season.
In 2024, the Lions shifted his alignment closer to the line of scrimmage, which brought his yards per catch back down to 11.0 and produced 14 receptions of 20 yards or fewer. What didn't change was his volume and scoring — St. Brown set a new career high with 12 touchdown catches while posting 115 receptions for 1,263 yards. He topped 100 yards in five games (11/119, 8/112/1, 11/161/2, 14/193/1, and 8/137) and put up 20-plus fantasy points eight times, with two monster outings (11/157/2 and 14/193/1). His consistency was a defining trait, and St. Brown found the end zone in eight straight games from Week 3 through Week 11, scoring nine TDs over that span.
St. Brown delivered another high-floor season in catches (117), receiving yards (1,401), and touchdowns (11) last year while setting a new top in targets (172). He gained 12.0 yards per catch with 19 catches reaching the 20-yard mark. His best fantasy value came in Week 2 (9/122/3) and Week 15 (13/164/2), scoring over 20.00 PPR fantasy points in five other matchups (20.70, 26.00, 20.60, 29.90, and 24.90). St. Brown had double-digit targets in nine matchups. He was a losing start in three contests (4/45, 2/42, and 4/54).
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