Swift was traded by the Lions to the Eagles on Saturday for a 2025 fourth-round pick and additional compensation in the 2023 NFL Draft, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The writing for such a move seemed to be on the wall as soon as the Lions drafted Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday. The third-year running back was dynamic as both a runner and pass-catcher when healthy, but the Lions never really unleashed the 2020 second-round pick either due to concerns regarding his consistent availability or just an organizational philosophy. In Philadelphia, Swift should get ample opportunities to prove his worth even if he ends up splitting time with offseason addition Rashaad Penny, as well as returnees Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Receiving trade interest
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The Lions have received inquiries about trading Swift in the wake of the team selecting Jahmyr Gibbs 12th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
General manager Brad Holmes said Thursday that Swift is "still a part of our team," adding that "it is early," per Jeff Risdon of USA Today. The fact remains the team saw fit to spend a high first-round pick on a capable pass-catching back in Gibbs, after already having signed David Montgomery to a three-year, $18 million contract this offseason. It doesn't take much reading between the lines to see that Swift could be on the way out. A dynamic playmaker in his own right, durability concerns have limited Swift's upside with the Lions, as he missed at least three games in each of his three seasons with the team. It's possible, though, that another team could be intrigued enough by Swift's flashes to take a chance on him and be willing to part with more than a late-round pick in exchange for the young runner. For fantasy purposes, a chance of scenery would likely only boost Swift's stock with Gibbs now in the Lions' backfield mix.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Remains in Lions' plans
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Head coach Dan Campbell indicated at the NFL Combine in early March that Detroit has no plans to give up on Swift, Woodward Sports Network reports. "We thought we had a recipe going into the year, and it didn't work out. ... We're going to start all over from scratch again. Let's find another way to help him stay on the field. ... He's too talented to not have out there."
Injuries forced Swift to miss three games for the third straight season in 2022, and he's been limited by health concerns in many other games. This continued lack of durability, combined with Detroit upgrading from Jamaal Williams to David Montgomery last week, brings high levels of uncertainty to calculations of Swift's 2023 fantasy value. While Campbell's comments -- which were made before Montgomery's signing -- nonetheless suggest that the Lions know what they have in their big-play running back, it will be interesting to see what the next "recipe" may consist of considering the last one was to put less on Swift's plate (he moved from 11.6 carries and 6.0 targets per game in 2021 to 7.1 carries and 5.0 targets per game in 2022). Until further notice, Swift should generally be considered a high-upside, low-floor fantasy option that gets a considerable boost in value within best-ball formats that use PPR scoring.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Avoiding offseason surgery
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Swift said Monday that he won't require offseason surgeries to address the ankle or shoulder injuries he played through for most of the 2022 campaign, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Though Swift noted that he plans to visit with "a couple doctors" in the coming weeks, he believes that he'll return to full health over the offseason simply through rest and rehab. After amassing a career-high 144 rushing yards on 15 carries while playing 65 percent of the offensive snaps in the Lions' Week 1 loss to the Eagles, Swift never surpassed those three numbers over his subsequent 13 appearances on the season. Instead, the Lions leaned heavily on Jamaal Williams as their lead option on the ground the rest of the way, while Swift logged double-digit carries on just two other occasions and operated as the team's top pass-catching back. Swift still proved to be dynamic as a ballcarrier (5.5 yards per carry), so if he's able to enter next season at 100 percent, he should see a bigger workload -- especially if Williams, a pending free agent, isn't re-signed.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Effective as receiving option
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Swift had six carries for 25 yards and seven receptions for 61 yards in Sunday's 20-16 win over Green Bay.
Jamaal Williams (16-72-2) led the rushing attack -- as he did all year -- forcing Swift to make his mark on the game primarily as a receiver. The 23-year-old performed well as part of a committee this season, racking up 931 combined yards and eight total touchdowns across 14 games. While those are decent totals, fantasy managers were hoping for more production from a player with such a high ADP in 2022. Swift will enter the fourth year of his rookie contract potentially as the lead back in Detroit with Williams lined up to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: RBs to Start
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I liked Swift as a starting Fantasy running back in this column last week, and he delivered a monster game with 26 PPR points against Chicago with 11 carries for 28 yards and a touchdown, along with four catches for 39 yards and a touchdown on four targets. It was great for Swift and Jamaal Williams -- he had 157 total yards and a touchdown on 23 touches -- that Justin Jackson (hip) was out against the Bears, and we'll see if Jackson can return in Week 18. The Packers have limited the running game for Miami and Minnesota the past two weeks, but prior to that, five running backs in a row scored at least 13 PPR points against Green Bay. I like Swift and Williams as No. 2 Fantasy options this week, with Swift the better start in PPR given his work in the passing game.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Start Them (Lineup Decisions)
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The Packers looked like a terrific defense last week after the Vikings lost two offensive linemen to injury and couldn't get any traction on the field. The truth? In six games since losing front-seven beast Rashan Gary, they've given up 4.9 yards per carry and seven rushing touchdowns. The Lions' O-line is beefy and did an amazing job creating space for their backs last week. They'll be in for a tougher fight, but the game should be competitive enough to keep both backs involved. Williams is a touchdown-dependent running back who could be penciled in for 10 Fantasy points regardless of format, while Swift's receiving profile makes him the better start in PPR.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Bounce-back effort against Bears
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Swift rushed 11 times for 78 yards and one touchdown while catching four of four targets for 39 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 41-10 win over the Bears.
Swift's rollercoaster season continued, as his big day came a week after totaling 25 scoreless yards on five touches in Week 16 against the Panthers. He didn't even need a Jamaal Williams absence to do so, either, considering the latter totaled 157 yards with a touchdown of his own over 23 touches. If No. 3 running back Justin Jackson (hip) -- who's averaged five combined rushing attempts plus targets since Detroit's Week 6 bye -- remains unable to steal touches in Week 18, look for Swift and Williams to again split the vast majority of backfield work in the regular-season finale in Green Bay.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: RBs to Start
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If Jamaal Williams (leg) can't play in Week 17 then I hope Swift has a dominant game against the Bears. It would be great if he could end his season on a high note and prove to Fantasy managers he can be a workhorse running back. He has two games this season with double digits in carries (Week 1 against Philadelphia and Week 13 against Jacksonville), and he scored at least 20 PPR points in both outings. Against the Eagles, Swift had 18 total touches (three catches) for 175 total yards and a touchdown. And against the Jaguars, Swift had 18 total touches (four catches) for 111 total yards and a touchdown. He could be a monster this week if Williams is out, and hopefully he gets 18-plus touches again. The Bears are No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and four running backs have scored at least 13 PPR points against Chicago in the past four games. Also, if Williams is out, then consider Justin Jackson a sleeper because he would play in tandem with Swift and has the chance for quality production as well.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Backfield at full health
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Swift's teammate Jamaal Williams is not listed on the injury report in advance of Sunday's game against Chicago.
Williams missed the final quarter of last week's loss to Carolina with a leg injury and Swift wound up logging his second-highest share of offensive snaps all season. However, Williams may have been held out for precautionary reasons since Detroit was down multiple scores at the time, and he subsequently did not need to miss any practice time this week. While Williams' absence would have positioned Swift as a strong candidate for a heavy role against a weak Bears defense, his presence could mean more of the same for Swift, whose touch count has fluctuated all season.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Five touches on Christmas Eve
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Swift rushed four times for 12 yards while catching one of five targets for 13 yards during Saturday's loss to Carolina.
Swift logged his second-highest snap count of the season and still barely got the ball on a day that he stayed healthy while Jamaal Williams (leg) left the game in the third quarter. Making matters worse is that third-string tight end Shane Zylstra vultured three red-zone touchdowns, and Jared Goff fumbled the snap on one of the few remaining opportunities when Swift was on the field near the goal line. Outside of sustaining an injury of his own, this outing couldn't have gone much worse for the slumping running back and his fantasy investors. However, for those still in contention, Swift could be a high-upside fantasy option in Week 17 against a porous Bears defense if Williams is unable to play.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Does little with nine targets
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Swift rushed eight times for 52 yards while catching five of nine targets for 23 yards during Sunday's 20-17 win over the Jets.
While Swift was highly efficient with his rushing attempts and logged a season high in targets, the Jets did well to keep Detroit's offense out of their territory for most of the game, making it hard for any Lions running back to sniff the end zone. Moreover, Swift was unable to do much with his lofty target total since New York was quick to bottle him up when he secured his catches. The third-year running back will look to put up bigger numbers in a Week 16 matchup with the Panthers.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Contrarian DFS Play
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Swift was an enormous disappointment in Week 14 and not someone I would consider in cash games at all, but he makes for a very intriguing contrarian play. He still has the ability to take any touch to the house and this is a game where I don't expect Jamaal Williams to find much success. If Swift gets loose on the perimeter a couple of times, he could win someone a lot of money at a low roster rate.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Held in check during win
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Swift rushed six times for 21 yards and brought in three of four targets for 18 yards in the Lions' 34-23 win over the Vikings on Sunday.
Swift appeared to be firmly on an upward trajectory heading into Sunday's game after tying his season high in touches during a Week 13 blowout win over the Jaguars. However, it was backfield mate Jamaal Williams who comfortably paced the team in carries with 16 on Sunday, and Swift couldn't make up for the shortfall in rushing work through the air. The Lions backfield once again appears to be a bit of a fantasy quagmire heading into a tough Week 15 road battle versus the Jets.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Gets back to full participation
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Swift (ankle) practiced fully Thursday.
Swift opened the week with a limited showing Wednesday with an ankle issue, but it didn't impact his activity level one day later, effectively clearing him for Week 14 action. The Lions tacked on Jamaal Williams (hand) onto Thursday's injury report, but like Swift he was able to log a full practice. As a result, the Swift-Williams backfield is a go ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Vikings.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Limited by ankle injury
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Swift was limited participant in practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury.
Swift initially was diagnosed with an ankle injury between Weeks 1 and 2, but he ditched that specific health concern as of Week 11 and has increased his snap share each of the last four games, culminating in 18 touches for 111 yards and one rushing touchdown this past Sunday versus the Jaguars. With a capped session to kick off Week 14 prep, his status now will be monitored to get a sense of his potential to keep things rolling this Sunday against the Vikings.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Records rushing TD in win
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Swift rushed 14 times for 62 yards and a touchdown and brought in four of six targets for 49 yards in the Lions' 40-14 win over the Jaguars on Sunday.
Swift handled his heaviest workload on the ground since Week 1 and found the end zone for the third time in the last four games in his best all-around game of the season. The third-year back's rushing yardage tally was also his second highest of the campaign, while his receiving yardage was a new high-water mark in 2022. The fact Swift outpaced backfield mate Jamaal Williams by three carries could be harbinger of what the stretch run may hold now that the former is possibly finally back to full health, but more insight should be gleaned from the division of labor in a Week 14 divisional home showdown against the Vikings.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Sleeper RBs
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Jamaal Williams remains the best Fantasy running back for the Lions because of his touchdown potential, but I don't mind Swift as a flex option against the Jaguars. He wasn't listed on the injury report, and hopefully he starts to get more work. Swift hasn't got more than 10 total touches in his past five games, but now that he's fully healthy we hope to see his role grow. He does have three touchdowns in his past five outings, and he also got eight targets last week against Buffalo. In what should be a high-scoring game, Swift might surprise us with a big performance against Jacksonville at home.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Totals 43 yards
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Swift rushed five times for 19 yards with a two-point conversion while catching four of eight targets for 24 yards during Thursday's 28-25 loss to the Bills.
Jamaal Williams continues to get the bulk of the rushing workload, but he also hasn't seen a target in the passing game since Week 8. Meanwhile, Swift has seen at least three targets in every game this year while logging a modest uptick in snaps (32 percent on Thursday) for the fourth consecutive contest. While fantasy managers would still like to see more after he opened the season seeing two-thirds of the offensive snaps, Swift is at least getting some goal-line carries -- including a potential touchdown that was called back Thursday -- and it is possible that Swift's snap share could continue to trend upward the further he distances himself from his shoulder and ankle injuries. His receiving chops could be highly utilized in Week 13 against a Jaguars defense that has been better against the run than the pass this year.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: RBs to Sit
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Swift has been saved by touchdowns of late, but he's still not getting enough work to warrant using him as anything more than a flex option in the majority of leagues. He's been at 10 touches or less in four games in a row, and he's been held to 33 yards or less in three of those outings. The good news is he's scored three touchdowns over that span, but that's hard to rely on. Jamaal Williams remains the lead running back for the Lions, and he should be considered a low-end starter in all leagues. But it's not an easy matchup against the Bills, who just held Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to a combined 15 PPR points in Week 11.
