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About Steve Janik - RotoBaller
27 - Big Baseball/Football Guy - There's not much that I don't find at least somewhat interesting.
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Steve Janik - RotoBaller has written 1038 articles so far, you can find them below.
LeGarrette Blount Is Touchdown-Dependent In Week 13
Detroit Lions running back LeGarrette Blount found the end zone twice in the Week 12 game against the Bears. This was all possible because rookie running back Kerryon Johnson (knee) was inactive. Aside from the two scores, Blount rushed for a season high 88 yards and caught pass for 15 more. This week, Blount will... Read More
Matthew Stafford Has Tough Matchup On Sunday
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was flat out bad on Thanksgiving, throwing for just 236 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions against the Bears. This week he gets to face one of the fiercest pass-rush defenses in the NFL, the LA Rams. While the Lions will be at home again, Stafford will be without Marvin... Read More
Detroit Lions Defense Average In Loss to Bears
The Detroit Lions defense recorded four sacks and a recovered a fumble in the 23-16 Thanksgiving Day loss to the Bears. Chicago was without starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky (shoulder) and leaned on backup Chase Daniel who threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns. One positive was that the Lions front seven held the Bears to... Read More
Matt Prater Hits Only Field Goal Attempt In Week 12
Detroit Lions kicker Matt Prater nailed a 20-yard field goal and hit his only extra-point attempt in Thursday's loss to the Bears. The Lions offense has been sputtering recently and it hasn't presented a ton of opportunities for the 34-year-old kicker. Prater has now hit 11 straight field goals and will be back home in... Read More
Levine Toilolo Not Targeted In Loss To Bears
Detroit Lions tight end Levine Toilolo was not targeted in Thursday's loss to the Bears. This was the sixth time this season that Toilolo wasn't looked at by quarterback Matthew Stafford. He is known as a more of blocking tight end and the Lions run game performed admirably on Thursday, but you don't get fantasy... Read More
Luke Willson Catches A Pass Against Bears
Detroit Lions tight end Luke Willson caught his only target for four yards in the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Bears. Willson's usage was hampered with Michael Roberts returning from a one-game absence for injury. This type of stat line is par for the course with Willson, as he hasn't caught more than three passes... Read More
Michael Roberts Targeted Six Times in Loss
Detroit Lions tight end Michael Roberts returned from a one-game absence to catch three of six targets for just 16 yards in the loss to the Bears on Thursday. Roberts was the fourth most targeted Lion and has now seen at least three targets in each of the last four games he's played. Overall, the... Read More
TJ Jones Catches Only Target In Week 12
Detroit Lions wide receiver TJ Jones had one catch for 15 yards in Thursday's 23-16 loss to the Bears. This is now the fifth straight game that Jones has hauled in a pass, but hasn't eclipsed more than 26 yards all season. Even without Golden Tate on the team and Marvin Jones (knee) inactive, Matthew... Read More
Bruce Ellington Catches Six Passes Against Bears
Detroit Lions wide receiver Bruce Ellington was targeted seven times, catching six of them for just 28 yards in the loss to Chicago on Thursday. He also rushed for a two-yard gain. The 27-year-old has taken over a similar role to former Lion Golden Tate, he just hasn't been as effective. In just two games... Read More
Kenny Golladay Hauls In Five Passes In Week 12
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay caught five of eight targets for 90 yards in Thursday's loss to the Bears. The second-year man was unable to find the end zone but still led the team in targets. Golladay picked up almost half of his yards on a 43-yard pass, but aside from that the Bears... Read More
Zach Zenner Receives Just Two Carries On Thursday
Detroit Lions running back Zach Zenner rushed for nine yards on just two carries, while also catching a pass for four yards. The rookie Kerryon Johnson (knee) was inactive and LeGarrette Blount had been highly ineffective as of late, so it was anticipated that Zenner would get more of a workload against the Bears. However,... Read More
Theo Riddick Posts Solid Day On Thanksgiving
Detroit Lions running back Theo Riddick caught all of his seven targets for 48 yards and took two carries for 12 yards. This marked the fifth straight game that Riddick garnered at least five catches. His upside is clearly limited because he has yet to score a touchdown this year, but he provides a nice... Read More
LeGarrette Blount Resurrects Himself Against Bears
Detroit Lions running back LeGarrette Blount rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries in Thursday's 23-16 loss to the Bears. He also caught his only target for a 15 yard gain. The bruiser scored Detroit's only touchdowns; it was his first time finding the end zone since Week 7. With Kerryon Johnson... Read More
Matthew Stafford Falls Flat Against Bears
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford finished 28 of 38 for 236 yards, while throwing two interceptions in the loss to the Bears on Thursday. This game marks the second time this year that Stafford did not throw for a touchdown and the third time that he threw multiple interceptions. This was a very poor showing... Read More
Marvin Jones Listed As Out On Thanksgiving
Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones (knee) is going to miss his second straight game, the team announced on their final injury report on Wednesday. Jones injured his knee in the Week 10 loss to the Bears and wasn't able to play against the Panthers last Sunday. This pushes Kenny Golladay back into the team's... Read More
Kerryon Johnson Listed As Out Against Bears
Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson (knee) will not play in Thursday's game against the Bears. The rookie was forced to leave Sunday's game and didn't return. On the short week, it's not surprising that Johnson isn't suiting up, especially since he didn't practice on Tuesday or Wednesday. In his absence, the Lions will likely... Read More
The Detroit Lions Defense Has Chance To Step Up Against Bears
The Detroit Lions defense performed admirably in their Week 11 20-19 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Heading into this week, another matchup with the Bears looms after they lost 34-22 in Week 10. However, Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky (shoulder) is doubtful to play on Thursday, meaning that career backup Chase Daniel will likely draw the... Read More
Levine Toilolo Is Hard To Trust Against Bears
Detroit Lions tight end Levine Toilolo has been the most productive tight end in the past two weeks. Subsequently, those two weeks are when Michael Roberts (shoulder) either left or missed a game. However, that hasn't vaulted him into a fantasy producer. Known as a blocking tight end, Toilolo has hauled in both of the... Read More
Luke Willson An Afterthought In Week 12
Detroit Lions tight end Luke Willson saw just one target in last week's victory over the Panthers. Not only did he not corral the look, but fellow tight end Levine Toilolo caught one of his two targets. Toilolo and Michael Roberts have taken the bulk of the work at the tight end position recently, although... Read More
Bruce Ellington Could Be Flex Worthy Against Bears
Detroit Lions wide receiver Bruce Ellington had a solid first game with his new team last Sunday, catching six passes on nine targets for 52 yards against the Panthers. Ellington seemed to slide into the role that Golden Tate once held, being Matthew Stafford's target on short-to-intermediate routes. This week, the first-year Lion gets to... Read More
TJ Jones Hasn't Done Anything To Warrant Consideration
Detroit Lions wide receiver TJ Jones has caught just five passes for 53 yards in his last five games. The receiver was expected to take on a bigger role once Golden Tate was traded, and then an even bigger one once Marvin Jones (knee) was forced to miss a Week 11 matchup with Carolina. However,... Read More
Kenny Golladay Looking To Continue Strong Play Against Bears
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay embraced the WR1 role quite well last Sunday, catching a career-high eight passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. It was also his second straight game with a score, with the former coming against the upcoming opponent, the Bears. With Marvin Jones (knee) expected to miss a second game,... Read More
Zach Zenner Could Have A Role In Lions Offense In Week 12
Detroit Lions running back Zach Zenner was re-signed by the Lions before Week 10. He has received just one carry in two games but with the injury to Kerryon Johnson (knee), Zenner could potentially be the ball carrier who gets the most work against the Bears on Thursday. However, this doesn't make him useful for... Read More
Theo Riddick Should See Increased Usage Against Bears
Detroit Lions running back Theo Riddick has 18 receptions for 126 yards in his last three games since returning from injury. Now that Kerron Johnson (knee) is expected to is Thursday's game against the Bears, Riddick is predicted to be a major beneficiary. Whether that correlates to more targets or an increase in carries, Riddick... Read More
Stay Away From LeGarrette Blount In Week 12
Detroit Lions running back LeGarrette Blount has rushed for 16 yards on his last 21 carries, meaning he's averaged less than a yard per carry. Blount has been irrelevant in all things football related and should definitely not be considered this Thursday against the Bears. Despite the fact that rookie running back Kerryon Johnson (knee)... Read More
Kerryon Johnson Misses Another Practice On Tuesday
Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson (knee) missed a second consecutive practice on Tuesday after being forced to leave Sunday's game. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday that Johnson just sprained his knee and is considered week-to-week. He is also likely to miss Thursday's game against the Bears. In his place, the Lions will look... Read More
Matthew Stafford Hard To Trust Against Bears
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for just 220 yards and one touchdown in last week's victory over the Panthers. He now has a short week to prepare to face the the Bears for the second time in three weeks. In the first matchup, Stafford threw for two touchdowns in garbage time, which saved his... Read More
Matt Prater Hits Two Field Goals In Week 11
Detroit Lions kicker Matt Prater nailed two field goals (54 and 32 yards) and two extra points in Sunday's 20-19 victory over the Panthers. Prater has now hit his last 10 consecutive field goals, and has hit three field goals from 50+ yards this season. The 34-year-old has a favorable home field indoors in Detroit... Read More
Detroit Lions Defense Holds Off Carolina
The Detroit Lions defense recorded three sacks and forced an interception in Sunday's victory over the Panthers. On paper, the Lions received a big bump because Darius Slay returned after a one week absence due to injury; however, Cam Newton still threw for 357 yards. Up front, Detroit was able to put pressure on Newton,... Read More
Levine Toilolo Catches One Pass In Week 11
Detroit Lions tight end Levine Toilolo caught his only target in the Week 11 win over the Panthers on Sunday. This marks the first time this season when Toilolo has caught a pass in back-to-back weeks. Tight end Michael Roberts (shoulder) missed the game but Toilolo is more of a blocking tight end. Regardless, tight... Read More
