Amon-Ra St. Brown came out of nowhere to put up a great rookie season with the Detroit Lions in 2021. The former fourth-round pick shocked the NFL world. Then, he shocked them again with an even more dominant 2022 season. He made the Pro Bowl and led numerous fantasy teams to championship victories. St. Brown proved he’s an elite wide receiver in the NFL with his play in 2022. Can he repeat his 2022 season or improve upon it? Is he truly a top-12 dynasty wide receiver?
2022 Season Recap
St.Brown reminded and proved to everyone that his rookie year wasn’t a fluke. St. Brown is the real deal. He’s a star wide receiver in the NFL. He followed his strong rookie year with a Pro Bowl year in 2022. St. Brown saw a massive amount of targets, 146, and caught 106 for 1,161 yards, six touchdowns, and 11.0 yards per catch. He added on nine carries for 95 yards on the ground. St. Brown is a lethal dual player. That makes him even more valuable in fantasy.
St. Brown is elite after the catch. He can quickly rack up tons of yards with his elite agility/speed. That’s an excellent combination for fantasy. Beyond his baseline stats, the advanced stats loved nearly all of his play. He was top-five in expected points added, points per route run, target rate, route win rate, and many others. Plus, he was top-ten in many other categories. St. Brown proved that he is a dynasty WR1 and one of the best ones in the NFL. Of course, he did this with little receiving competition, but that could change in 2023.
2023 Season Projections
St. Brown has added competition for targets this year with guys like Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Sam LaPorta, and Jameson Williams healthy or joining the team. Although, Williams will be out the first six games, allowing even more targets to flow St. Brown’s way. Still, he will see plenty of targets from Jared Goff. They have the connection and routine down. St. Brown is the best receiver on the team. There isn’t a chance Amon-Ra St. Brown doesn’t see at least 140 targets if he’s healthy.
While he won’t see hardly any more targets than last year, he should see a few more rushes and get more yardage through the air thanks to the additional targets the Lions have. Defenses can’t just account for St. Brown. They have to cover a lot of other guys. That will enable some more touchdowns and big yardage gains for Brown. Overall, he’s a top-12 wide receiver option this year. Don’t be shocked if he finishes top-six. He has the ability; all he needs is the targets.
Long-Term Dynasty Outlook
St. Brown is a tremendous dynasty asset to have. He’s only entering his age-24 season and already has two seasons with over 900 yards. Not many guys can claim to have a player with over 2,000 receiving yards through his first two seasons. St. Brown is the focal point of the Detroit Lions’ offense for the foreseeable future. He will be force-fed targets. He’ll get plenty of snaps. The Lions know that he is their guy. He’s under contract for two more years, but don’t be shocked if they extend him. Regardless, he’s worth multiple first-round picks. Even then, that might be an underpay. How often can you buy a WR1 that is young enough to stick around on your dynasty roster for the next five to six years? Not very often.
Be wise and continue to build your dynasty team around one of the best wide receivers in the game. He’s an elite player to contend with. Plus, he’s young enough to help you contend in a few years if you’re rebuilding. If you’re contending, don’t move him at all. St.Brown is just going to help you win a championship. The only factor that could stop him is health. So far, he’s missed just one game. St. Brown is an excellent dynasty wide receiver. He is the best wideout since Calvin Johnson for Detroit. He’ll continue to be the number-one guy for both your dynasty team and the Detroit Lions.
Do you want to become the best dynasty player you can be? Be sure to use my promo code “Darth” for 15% OFF your subscription to Dynasty Nerds! It makes it only three dollars or so! Connect with me on Twitter @DarthDbacks. I love to talk football, baseball, movies, shows, Star Wars, and Marvel, and interact with the fantasy football community. For more articles of mine, click here.
As always, May the Force be with You…
