Sione Vaki
Sione Vaki Emerging in Lions RB Room
3 months ago

Sione Vaki is quickly acclimating himself with the Lions first and second stringers, and is in a position to emerge as the Lions RB3 behind David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Vaki spent most of his time at the Safety position for the Utah Utes in college. Last year, he was asked to step in as an emergency Running Back and showed natural instincts for hitting rushing lanes with speed, as well as spectacular hands and receiving acumen. This short stint impressed Brad Holmes and the Lions brass enough to trade multiple picks for the opportunity to select Vaki as a Running Back in the 4th round of the 2024 draft.

 

While he’s still learning the position, Vaki brings a competitive nature and explosiveness that makes his offensive upside intriguing. Early reports from Lions beat writers believe he has a strong chance to edge out Craig Reynolds for the primary backup role behind Montgomery and Gibbs.

 

For Fantasy Managers, it’s important to monitor these reports, but not overreact. It’s best to keep Vaki on waivers for now, as it would still take an injury from either starter in front of him to launch Vaki into any sort of fantasy relevance. Furthermore, Vaki should be viewed more as a handcuff to Gibbs’ receiving and change of pace duties within the offense, rather than as a potential bell cow. While Gibbs has the special ability/efficiency to turn this role into a highly productive fantasy asset, the same can’t be said for everyone who would step up to fill in for him.