The most popular selection for the No. 1 overall pick this fantasy football season has been Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
Gibbs was asked Tuesday if he'd selected himself at No. 1.
"For sure," he said with a smile. "I'm either going to make a lot of people happy or mad."
For the first three seasons of his NFL career Gibbs shared the backfield in Detroit. He was either 1A or 1B in a dynamic backfield duo alongside veteran David Montgomery as Sonic and Knuckles.
Gibbs played 57 and 56 percent of Detroit's offensive snaps his first two seasons after the Lions made him one of their two first-round picks along with linebacker Jack Campbell in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Gibbs saw a significant boost in his usage last season as his snaps increased to 67 percent, which is part of the reason Montgomery was traded to Houston this offseason.
Gibbs, who has a new contract extension that keeps him in Detroit through 2030, is now the unquestioned No. 1 weapon in the Lions' backfield. He will carry the load and be the bell cow at running back. It wouldn't be surprising to see his snap usage go up considerably this season from the 737 offensive snaps we saw him play last year.
"I guess I'm getting most of the carries," Gibbs said. "I feel good. It's nothing I haven't done before. It's going to be cool."
Gibbs is excited about new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's scheme and his role within it. Gibbs was second in scrimmage touchdowns (18) and fifth in scrimmage yards (1,839) last season, and those numbers are the baseline for an even bigger role in 2026.
LEFT GUARD JOB
The Lions play their first game of the regular season in five days, and while 80 percent of the starting offensive line looks to be set for Sunday, head coach Dan Campbell is taking a wait-and-see approach to this week's practice before determining the left guard spot.
Christian Mahogany and Ben Bartch will split reps with the first-team offense this week in practice before Campbell makes a decision on a starter. Both players could receive reps Sunday against the Saints.
"Today they're going to split, I see them splitting on Thursday, I see them splitting on Friday," Campbell said. "And then if nothing's been decided by then, then maybe they both play."
GLUE PIECES
This roster is filled with top-end talent with names like Gibbs, Campbell, Aidan Hutchinson, Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jared Goff. They make up the core, and are a big reason why Detroit is among the top teams in the NFC.
A lot of times Super Bowl champions are determined by how the roster depth develops and complements the starters. Campbell was asked Tuesday about his confidence level heading into the regular season, and he talked about those glue pieces on the roster.
"It's those key role players, having Brock Wright back. (Wright) had an outstanding training camp. Hogan Hatten, Khalil Dorsey, special teams on the edge, Tom Kennedy. Yeah, (Kennedy's) playing in this game," Campbell said.
"Those role players are big and they're the ones that kind of, they're a little bit of that glue that binds those premier players together. They've got a job to do, and they've got to be really good in that role and in that job. And I love these little spots of guys that we got a job for, the (Roger) McCrearys, man, obviously Chuck (Clark) and (Avonte) Maddox. And I like it. I think it's what makes teams and it gives you that little extra edge."
EXTRA POINT
All 52 players currently on the roster took part in the open portion of practice at the Meijer Performance Center Tuesday in Detroit's first full practice of the 2026 regular season. Only practice squad tackle Devin Cochran was working off to the side. The first official practice report of the season will be released Wednesday.
