The Lions’ offense was in a funk from the start of this contest and spiraled downward as the quarters passed. Jared Goff was under pressure often and looked to his running back Jhamyr Gibbs more often than not. He peppered Gibbs with a team-high 10 targets. Because all of the check-downs were going to Gibbs, there wasn’t much meat left on the bone for St. Brown. Things should improve as the Lions settle in under first-year coordinator John Morton, but St. Brown could fall a few spots in the wide receiver ranks if that doesn’t happen soon. He will look to rebound versus the Bears in Week 2.

While this development was expected, St. Brown’s comments confirm that Lions training camp will be worth following closely this summer. Prior reports indicated Morton could increase the Lions’ downfield passing rate this season, potentially leading to a larger role for Jameson Williams. Jahmyr Gibbs finished as the overall PPR RB1 last year despite totaling just the eighth-most touches (302). Could Morton shift more of the backfield’s workload toward him this year? Stay tuned.

There is more to be learned on this issue, but it stands to reason that the cleanup procedure is linked to the right knee injury he suffered while filling in on punt return duties against the Colts in Week 12. St. Brown was listed as questionable for the Lions’ Week 13, Thanksgiving game against the Bears, but did suit up for the occasion, catching 5-of-7 targets for 73 yards. St. Brown is known for playing through injuries, and doing so effectively, so fantasy managers should not be overly concerned. As long as he makes a full recovery and is indeed on the field by training camp, he should again deliver season-long WR1 results.