The Lions made a quiet but telling move when they shipped off veteran wideout Tim Patrick. It wasn’t really about Patrick, who is a steady vet who could’ve hung around in a reduced role. Instead, it was a statement about rookie Isaac TeSlaa.
Detroit didn’t move on from Patrick without confidence, and TeSlaa’s emergence in camp and preseason proved he was ready to claim the WR3 role behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
Make no mistake: TeSlaa didn’t luck into this promotion. He earned it. The rookie stepped over a quality veteran on the depth chart, flashed in practice all summer, and capped it all with a preseason that was impossible to ignore.
While a third receiver spot doesn’t always translate to weekly fantasy value, TeSlaa has enough size, speed, and touchdown potential to be intriguing in the later rounds of fantasy drafts. He’s the type of player who can give you spike-week production in best ball, sneaky last-round upside in redraft, and long-term intrigue in dynasty.
A ELECTRIC ATHLETIC PROFILE
The first thing you notice with TeSlaa is the frame. At 6’4” and 214 pounds, he’s built like a prototypical outside receiver. But he’s not just big. He’s fast, clocking a 4.43 forty-yard dash that puts him in rare company for someone his size. His measurables jump off the page: a 98th percentile catch radius, elite burst and agility metrics, and a breakout age of just 19.3 years old.
It’s no exaggeration to say he’s a “walking metric machine.” His athletic profile is exactly the type teams covet when they’re looking for mismatches in the passing game. TeSlaa can bully smaller defensive backs, leap over corners in contested situations, and still run away from coverage when he gets a step. That versatility makes him a weapon who can line up both outside as an X or inside as a jumbo slot.
THE ROAD TO DETROIT
TeSlaa’s journey to the NFL is far from typical. He began his career at Hillsdale College, a Division II program where he routinely embarrassed overmatched defenders. From there, he transferred to Arkansas to prove himself in the SEC. The raw box score at Arkansas, 62 catches for 896 yards and five touchdowns across two seasons, wasn’t eye-popping, but the flashes were there. He averaged 19.5 yards per catch in his final season and showed the ability to track deep balls, win at the high point, and stretch the field vertically.
What stood out most at Arkansas was his ability to create explosive plays despite raw route-running polish. He might not have run the crispiest routes in college, but he didn’t need to. His size and athleticism forced defenses to account for him, and he proved he could be a true vertical threat.
A DOMINANT PRESEASON
Rookies can fade quietly in the preseason, but Isaac TeSlaa made sure that didn’t happen. He put together one of the most eye-opening August performances in the entire rookie class, finishing with 10 receptions for 154 yards and three touchdowns on just 14 targets. Those numbers weren’t padded against soft competition either; they came with highlight plays.
In preseason Week 3, TeSlaa hauled in an impressive 33-yard touchdown against press coverage, over his shoulder near the pylon, showing veteran-level ball tracking and body control. He led the Lions with 41 receiving yards that night and continued to build on the momentum he’d created earlier in camp.
When Detroit coaches and reporters say he “forced his way onto the field,” this is what they’re talking about.
LIONS’ DAY-ONE STARTER
The Lions’ passing hierarchy is fairly clear. Amon-Ra St. Brown is the target hog and chain mover. Jameson Williams is the burner who keeps defenses honest. Sam LaPorta is one of the league’s most promising young tight ends and already commands significant usage over the middle. That leaves the WR3 role as more of a complementary position, and last year, Tim Patrick filled it with 33 catches for 394 yards and three scores.
But TeSlaa offers something Patrick never did: explosive athleticism. He can stretch the field vertically, high-point contested catches, and provide red-zone upside. While TeSlaa isn’t likely to earn enough consistent targets to be a weekly starter in redraft, he has the type of skill set that will lead to spike weeks. Think 3 catches, 90 yards, and a touchdown, which is the type of line that wins you a week in best ball or bails you out in a bye week crunch.
ISAAC TESLAA FANTASY OUTLOOK
So how should fantasy managers view Isaac TeSlaa heading into drafts?
In best ball, he’s a fantastic late-round stab, capable of delivering splash plays that fit perfectly in that format. In redraft leagues, he’s more of a last-round flier in deeper formats, which is someone you don’t need to count on weekly, but who carries massive upside if an injury strikes Amon-Ra or Jamo.
The real juice, though, comes in dynasty (I highlighted him in April, nbd). Detroit spent the No. 70 overall pick on TeSlaa in the third round, a meaningful investment that suggests they see him as part of their long-term plans. At just 22 years old with an elite athletic profile, TeSlaa is exactly the type of prospect you want to stash. If he pops in 2025, his value will skyrocket.
Isaac TeSlaa isn’t just an electric name; he’s an electric player, too. The Lions drafted him to be their modern-day X, and he’s already proving he belongs. With his size, speed, and knack for making plays downfield, he’s the type of wideout who could develop into a serious weapon in Detroit’s passing game.
For fantasy managers, the expectations should be tempered in 2025 (our WR71, +21 spots vs ECR), but the upside is undeniable. TeSlaa has the athleticism to deliver splash plays right away, and his long-term potential makes him one of the most intriguing rookies in this class. Grab him late in best ball, stash him at the end of your redraft bench if you have room, and absolutely make sure he’s rostered in dynasty.
Because when the lights come on this fall, Isaac TeSlaa could be shocking defenses just as much as his name suggests, and fantasy managers who invested early will be glad they plugged in.
