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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.
Matt Cassel Wins Lions Backup Quarterback Job
Detroit Lions quarterback Matt Cassel has won the preseason battle to be the team’s backup quarterback, as Jake Rudock was cut during Saturday’s wave of roster cuts. Cassel and Rudock had been competing to back up Matthew Stafford this preseason. Cassel was the front-runner entering camp based off of his experience in the league. Meanwhile,... Read More
Ameer Abdullah Makes 53-Man Roster
Detroit Lions running back Ameer Abdullah earned the team’s fourth running back spot with a solid preseason. Abdullah had been the subject of trade talks for a majority of training camp but had performed well in three exhibition games, rushing for 53 yards and a score. While he will be stuck behind Kerryon Johnson, LeGarrette... Read More
Lions Backup Quarterback Still A Major Question
Detroit Lions quarterback Jake Rudock started the final preseason game Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns. He finished 14 of 24 for 114 yards and a touchdown. His first four drives resulted in a punt, leading the team to insert Matt Cassel into the game. Cassel then tossed an interception that was returned for a... Read More
Hakeem Valles Has One Reception Against Browns
Detroit Lions tight end Hakeem Valles had one reception on four targets for five yards during Thursday night's game against the Cleveland Browns. Valles has been having quite a camp and has made a case to make the team's 53-man roster. He has been given the most opportunities of the Lions tight end group this... Read More
Zach Zenner Won't Return Against Browns
Detroit Lions running back Zach Zenner suffered a back injury in the first half of the preseason game versus the Cleveland Browns. Zenner drew the start for Detroit and only got one carry and one target before leaving with the injury, while his only carry was for a one-yard loss. The 26-year-old was on the... Read More
Ameer Abdullah On The Bubble
Detroit Lions running back Ameer Abdullah has done enough this preseason to prove he belongs on the Lions 53-man roster, but there is still a chance he gets cut or traded, according to MLive.com's Kyle Meinke. Abdullah has started 22 games since entering the league in 2015, and ball security has been a major issue... Read More
Kenny Golladay - 2018 Fantasy Football Sleeper
There is so much depth at the wide receiver position in the NFL that dipping into the right team’s depth chart can find you a viable fantasy option, even some high-upside WR2 candidates. That’s what we have in Detroit with second-year receiver, Kenny Golladay. Although he's behind Golden Tate and Marvin Jones on the depth... Read More
Lions Cut Robert Ayers
The Detroit Lions cut defensive end Robert Ayers on Tuesday, one day after the team announced they had signed the 33-year-old veteran. Ayers practiced with the team on Monday, and ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein reports there were no injury designations on the transaction wire. It's not uncommon for a player to be cut on short notice,... Read More
T.J. Lang Returns To Practice
Detroit Lions right guard T.J. Lang returned for his first practice in several weeks. Head coach Matt Patricia has been very tight lipped about injuries this preseason, so it is unclear what exactly kept Lang out for so long, including the team's first three preseason games. However, just last week, Lang mentioned that if it... Read More
Luke Willson Out At Practice On Monday
Detroit Lions tight end Luke Willson (knee) did not practice with the team on Monday afternoon. However, he was seen doing some sprints and light running on the sideline. Willson was forced to leave last Friday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with an injury and was originally listed as questionable to return. Later, the team... Read More
Robert Ayers Signs With Detroit
The Detroit Lions announced on Monday that they signed free-agent defensive end Robert Ayers. The 33-year-old defensive lineman spent the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2017, he started 10 games and registered 31 total tackles, including two sacks and two forced fumbles. Detroit has been attempting to bolster their pass rush... Read More
Marvin Jones Quiet On Friday
Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones only had one reception for 12 yards during Friday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jones’ reception came on Detroit’s first drive, but he was not targeted again until the opening drive of the third quarter. Jones’ ADP has remained steady most of the summer, going around the... Read More
Hakeem Valles Shines Against Tampa Bay
Detroit Lions tight end Hakeem Valles continued his strong preseason on Friday night, catching three passes for 38 yards. Valles showed his big-play potential, with all three receptions being at least 12 yards long. The third-year tight end has been impressing the coaching staff thus far, having spent time with the first-team offense in practice... Read More
Luke Willson Leaves Game With Knee Injury
Detroit Lions tight Luke Willson was forced to leave Friday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a knee injury; he did not return. The severity of the injury is unknown, and it is possible that Detroit kept him from returning to the game as a precautionary measure. However, Willson was not targeted when... Read More
Golden Tate Hauls In Two Passes
Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate caught two of his four targets for 23 yards. After pulling in an 11-yard pass on the team’s first drive, Tate’s other reception came in the third quarter, as Detroit let their starters go back out after halftime. Tate had played sparingly in the Lions’ first two preseason games,... Read More
Kenny Golladay Has One Catch On Friday
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay caught one of his five targets on Friday. His only reception was a 36-yard pass that setup a field goal on the Lions first drive of the game. Golladay led all starters in targets, with all of them coming from Matthew Stafford. Aside from his reception, the other four... Read More
Detroit Lions Starters Play Into Third Quarter
The Detroit Lions first-team offense played the entire first half, as well as the first drive of the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, before giving way to the backups. In the first half, the offense administered scoring drives of 69 and 90 yards, respectively. However, both drives ended with just field goals. Quarterback... Read More
Michael Roberts Looking For Breakout Against Tampa Bay
Detroit Lions tight end Michael Roberts has not had a great training camp up to this point. The 2017 fourth-round pick only has one catch through two preseason games and has struggled with blocking assignments in games and practices. With Luke Willson and Levine Toilolo all but set to make the roster, the third tight... Read More
Kerryon Johnson May Have Decent Workload Against Tampa Bay
Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson should see plenty of reps during the team's third preseason game on Friday. The 2018 second-round pick is expected play a large role in the Lions offense this season, but the third preseason game usually tells where a player stands on the team. After posting 67 total yards in... Read More
Eli Harold Acquired By Lions
The Detroit Lions traded for linebacker Eli Harold from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick. Harold started 10 games at outside linebacker for the 49ers in 2017. Over his past two seasons, he has recorded 71 tackles and five sacks. While Harold is not the game changer the Lions' defense... Read More
Luke Willson Poised For A Breakout Year
Detroit Lions tight end Luke Willson finally finds himself as the top tight end on his team. Willson has spent the last few seasons in the shadows of Jimmy Graham in Seattle, but the former fifth-round pick has still had his fair share of success in the NFL. Spanning five seasons, he has caught 89... Read More
T.J. Lang Considers Himself Day-To-Day
Detroit Lions right guard T.J. Lang considers himself "day-to-day" and states that his absence during the last few weeks of practice are precautionary. Lang has been sidelined with an unknown injury, but he believes that if it was the regular season, it would be business as usual. In his absence, the Lions' offensive line has... Read More
Golden Tate Looking Forward To Third Preseason Game
Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate knows the third preseason game is a big step towards being prepared for the regular season. The Lions have dropped their first two preseason matchups against the Oakland Raiders and New York Giants. In both of those games, the offense has struggled to put points on the board until... Read More
Golden Tate Not Included In Two-Wide Receiver Formations
Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate was not a part of two-receiver formations in Friday's game against the New York Giants. Instead, playing opposite of Marvin Jones Jr. was second-year receiver Kenny Golladay. The Lions have reportedly been working on these offensive sets more in the preseason. When the starters were in on Friday, two... Read More
Taylor Decker Says Lions Offensive Line Will Be Better
The Detroit Lions first-team offensive line allowed four sacks, six quarterback hits and nine hurries on Friday against the New York Giants. The Lions were missing starting right guard T.J. Lang. However, tackle Taylor Decker believes there will be improvement. "Week to week you can always try to improve upon little things and I think... Read More
T.J. Lang Sits Out Practice Again
Detroit Lions right guard T.J. Lang missed another practice on Monday afternoon. Lang has now missed out on practice for over a week, including missing the Lions preseason game against the New York Giants on Friday. While his current injury is unknown, Lang has a recent history of injuries after missing three games in 2017... Read More
Steve Longa Placed On Injured Reserve With Torn ACL
Detroit Lions linebacker Steve Longa (knee) was placed on the Injured Reserve on Monday due to a torn ACL. Longa was forced to leave Friday night's game against the New York Giants because of the injury. The third-year linebacker appeared in 15 games for Detroit last season and was poised to be a backup at... Read More
Lions Cut Cornelius Washington
The Detroit Lions cut defensive end Cornelius Washington on Monday. By dropping the 28-year-old, the team has now lost two of their top four sack leaders from 2017. Washington appeared in 15 games a season ago and recorded just 2.5 sacks. While the move saves the Lions $2.7 million, it also puts defensive ends Kerry... Read More
Michael Roberts Has Been A Disappointment In Training Camp
Detroit Lions tight end Michael Roberts has not lived up to the expectations many had when the team decided to not re-sign Eric Ebron. The fourth-round pick in 2017, Roberts wasn't able to haul in his only target during the team's first preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. While he had a better week in... Read More
Kerryon Johnson Looking For Repeat Performance In Second Game
Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson led all running backs with 34 yards rushing in the team's first preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. The Lions host the New York Giants on Friday evening. There are high hopes that the second-round pick will continue his strong play. Last week, Johnson had several runs of over... Read More
