Fantasy ranking for Lions offense proves they won't miss Ben Johnson

The two most notable offseason losses for the Detroit Lions this year were their coordinators, as Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn both made their inevitable move to a head coaching job. Johnson in particular became a hot head coaching candidate as the Lions became one of the best offenses in the NFL, and he's gone to the division rival Chicago Bears.

Dan Campbell turned to a familiar face to replace Johnson. John Morton was on the Lions' coaching staff in 2022, before spending the last two seasons as the Denver Broncos' passing game coordinator under Campbell's mentor Sean Payton.

Morton knows how good the situation he's stepping into is, and he won't be looking to reinvent the wheel.

"They've already established a philosophy here," Morton told Dan Miller of Fox 2 back in February. "It's just my job to continue the vision of how (coach) Dan (Campbell) wants things. We'll tinker with things here and there, and we'll see how we can make it better."

Fantasy ranking proves Lions won't really miss Ben Johnson

Matt Brandon of SI.com has taken a look at each NFL team's offense, and ranked them as fantasy football environments for 2025. The Lions came in at No. 2.

"With elite talent at every skill position and one of the league’s most efficient offenses, the Detroit Lions are locked in as a fantasy goldmine heading into the 2025 season."

Quarterback Jared Goff is easy to lament and downgrade as a fantasy asset, and that turns up a notch without Johnson. But it's a bottom line business, and the Lions' signal caller has been a top-10 fantasy quarterback in each of the last three years.

As Brandon noted, the Lions have two viable fantasy running backs, highlighted by Jahmyr Gibbs being a top-five pick in drafts this year after taking a huge step last year. Amon-Ra St. Brown is as consistent as it gets at the wide receiver position. No. 2 wide receiver Jameson Williams has big upside, albeit with downside that should also be acknowledged. After a strong finish last season, tight end Sam LaPorta is in line for a rebound campaign in 2025.

If Morton wasn't aligned with how Campbell wants the offense to look, he wouldn't have been hired to replace Johnson. So fantasy managers shouldn't overthink the change in play caller here, and it certainly should not be used as a reason to downgrade any fantasy-relevant Lions' player.