The Lions have claimed RB Keiland Williams off waivers from Washington. HC Jim Schwartz told Mlive.com: “We like his skill set. I think we were very lucky to get him.” Williams’ arrival casts Jerome Harrison’s fantasy-handcuff status into doubt. Williams emerged as a quality receiver out of the backfield in Washington last year, pulling in 39 catches to just 65 rushing attempts. His skill set doesn’t seem all that different from Harrison’s, but the team’s move puts them at least on the same level. Schwartz also mentioned Williams as a possible candidate for goal line carries. “(He’s) a little bigger runner,” Schwartz said, “very productive in a role last year for the Redskins. He scored some touchdowns.” That could put a dent in RB Jahvid Best’s upside. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Detroit’s RB situation early this year.

My View: Williams looks like he could quickly turn into part of the rotation at running back. He’s a bigger back and could help make the loss of Leshoure less painful.

** Lions RB Mikel Leshoure will miss the entire 2011 season after tearing his Achilles tendon in Monday’s practice. He’s expected to undergo surgery, possibly as early as tomorrow. Achilles injuries are often a kiss of death for RBs, and there’s no guarantee that Leshoure regains pre-injury form. It’s an extremely tough break for a talented guy who appeared to have a bright NFL future. Meanwhile, Jahvid Best is now locked-in as Detroit’s feature back. If he can stay healthy, he could approach 300 total touches. That gives him huge upside on this explosive Lions offense. Maurice Morris is expected to step in as the team’s #2 back. Draft Sharks members can head over to the site right now to check out our updated projections for the Lions backfield.

WOW! Talk about bad news. Morris is a capable backup, but the one-two punch of Best and Leshoure was going to be fun to watch. Here’s hoping he recovers and has a football career after this injury!

Rookie DT Nick Fairley will reportedly miss 3-4 weeks after undergoing surgery Wednesday on a stress fracture in his left foot. The upside is that timetable wouldn’t cost him any regular-season games. It certainly should keep DT Corey Williams in the starting lineup, though. Williams registered just 37 tackles and 2 sacks in his 1st year with the Lions but had a pair of 7-sack seasons in Green Bay. Fairley remains a high-ceiling, low-risk option late in IDP drafts that carry a DT requirement.

Not the start to his NFL career Fairley wanted I’m sure. It’s probably a little more never-wracking for the Lions organization as well. The strongest unit on the team takes a bit of a hit, but Fairley should still be ready for the regular season. Let’s hope he stays in shape and can pick up the schemes from the sidelines!

Lions beat writer Chris McCosky speculates that rookie RB Mikel Leshoure could see 40-45% of the reps this season. We currently have the Lions backfield projected at a 55-45 split in favor of RB Jahvid Best, although we’re thinking Best will see closer to 60% of the carries as long as he’s healthy. This will be a situation to monitor closely this summer.

My View: Something to definitely keep your eye as the possiblity of Fantasy Football is looking up again. The biggest thing is keeping Best healthy and a split in the backfield will definitely do that.

Lions TE Brandon Pettigrew has dropped about 10 pounds this offseason. He’s back down to the 255 he played at in college. “I like the 255, being able to move,” Pettigrew said. “Strength thrills, but speed kills, and I still think I can get it done in the blocking game as well.” After his yards-per-catch average dropped to 10.2 this past year, look for that to jump back up towards the 11.4 mark he posted in his rookie season.

Lions WR Nate Burleson recently underwent elbow surgery to have fluid drained and a bursa sac removed. He injured the elbow last November and was hoping it’d heal on its own. It’s continued to swell though, so Burleson will undergo what the Detroit Free Press calls a “minor” procedure. It sounds like Burleson will be fine for the start of training camp, but we’ll continue to monitor his progress.

My View: I’d love to see Pettigrew pick up that yard-per-catch and in particular that yard-after-catch. He’s a big target for Stafford and can continue to develop into a Pro Bowl caliber tight end in my option. Burleson’s surgery sounds minor, so that’s a good thing. The Lions finely found a receiver who could take some pressure off of Calvin Johnson. Big things could be coming from the Lions receiving corps with the addition of rookie Titus Young in the slot.

Lions WR Calvin Johnson may only have scratched the surface of his ability last season. The Detroit Free Press reports that Megatron had some nice things to say about the team’s new rookie QB. “Offense is looking good,” the young stud said. “[QB Matthew] Stafford’s doing a good job early… He throws a nice, tight spiral. Throws a hard ball. He has a big arm, so it’s nice to see that.” After seeing 5 different QBs in ’08, Calvin will look forward to some consistency at QB. He scored in 7 straight games with Dan Olrovsky at QB. Imagine what he’ll do with a better QB.

Lions RB Kevin Smith will have plenty of opportunity to have a big year. Mlive.com is reporting that the Lions have installed more power running plays for Smith under new OC Scott Linehan. The Lion offense was an inconsistent mess last year. Having a plan for Smith is a step in the right direction. A few of our writers are very high on this kid.

I for one am very excited about Kevin Smith in 2009, and it’s not just because my team is named “Kevin Smith Fan Club”. I think in a real offensive system, he can be a dominant back and really help take the pressure off whoever the starting quarterback is.

Read Juggernaut Index No. 19: Well, at least the Ford family’s other business is thriving at Yahoo! Sports

Read Kevin Jones expected to play next week vs. Philly at MLive

My View: Great news for the Lions and my fantasy team in the Leelanau League!

Traditionally I don’t fair very well, as I am a homer (pick MSU every year) or just plain stupid (pick Kansas to the Final Four every year), but it’s still fun and I look forward to beating all of you.

In order to join the group, just follow this link.

You will need a Yahoo! account to enter, and that should do it. Any questions or problems leelanausportsguy@sportspig.com.

Note: If you have a Yahoo! Account you can follow (and hopefully join) the action at http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/men/group/60656!

QB Jon Kitna, Lions – The Joey Harrington experiment has ended after 4 seasons, and now the Lions offense will be put in the hands of solid veteran Jon Kitna. He has been a backup in Cincinnati for the last 2 seasons, but notably threw 26 TD passes and racked up 3500+ yards with the team in 2003 when Carson Palmer was a rookie. He is a solid leader and throws a good deep ball even though he lacks a strong arm. He is also good at reading the defense before the snap and knows how to spread the ball around to the right receivers. He should build a fine chemistry with rising star Roy Williams, and the pair should excel while under the direction of new offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Kitna should bring stability and consistency to the position that was gravely lacking with Harrington at the controls, and the Lions young offense should finally start playing up to its potential. Kitna could easily throw 25 TD’s and be a top 10 QB.

I am sure most Lions fans would love 25 touchdowns as long as the INTs are under 10 or so. Kitna could be a good fit with the Martz system, but part of me wants to see what Josh McCown could do as well. Either way I think the Lions are better off without Joey and I look for Roy Williams and Kevin Jones to have better seasons because of consistent quarterback play.

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