The Lions released James on Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

James had the two worst years of his career in Detroit, logging just 142 and 129 receiving yards in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Wherever he next lands, James will at least get the benefit of not working behind T.J. Hockensen, which could potentially allow him to reprise production levels similar to what he once did in Pittsburgh. From 2016-18 with the Steelers, James strung together three straight seasons with at least 300 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

James secured his only target for a two-yard gain during Sunday's 37-35 loss to Minnesota.

EDGE Analysis

Like in most of his outings with Detroit over the past two seasons, James' playing time included the majority of available special-teams snaps plus around half of the offensive snaps. However, with T.J. Hockenson around, he hasn't had as many responsibilities in the passing game as he did in Pittsburgh from 2015 to 2018, which is almost certainly the driver of James having logged career-lows in receptions (14) and receiving yards (129) over 16 games for the second straight season. Unfortunately for the future of his production, Detroit has both he and Hockenson locked up through at least 2022, making James seems unlikely to see a bump in his fantasy stock anytime soon.

James caught one of three targets for a nine-yard touchdown during Sunday's 34-30 win over Chicago.

EDGE Analysis

While there will be days like Sunday when James comes through with a touchdown, the low amount of passing volume he sees makes James too touchdown-dependent to have fantasy value.

James was targeted twice and caught one pass for three yards in Sunday's 20-0 loss to the Panthers.

EDGE Analysis

James continues to handle a consistent role on offense, playing about 50 percent of the snaps on a weekly basis. His production is capped behind T.J. Hockenson, though, and he's recorded just 10 receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown through 10 games.

James caught one of two targets for 31 yards during Sunday's 35-39 loss to the Saints.

EDGE Analysis

James caught his longest pass as a member of the Lions, but he'll certainly remain a complementary piece of the Lions' passing game as long as everyone else is healthy.

James caught three passes (four targets) for 28 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 26-23 win over Arizona.

EDGE Analysis

James was finally involved in the passing game after not seeing a single target during the first two games of the year. However, his track record of being a blocking specialist suggests this isn't the start of something new. It will be extremely hard to trust James in Week 4 against New Orleans.

James logged 30 offensive snaps during Sunday's 42-21 loss to the Packers.

EDGE Analysis

James again significantly trailed T.J. Hockenson in playing time, and the blocking specialist didn't see a pass thrown his way for the second consecutive week despite the continued absence of Kenny Golladay (hamstring). Don't expect James to see a spike in passing-game involvement anytime soon.

James, who caught two of three passes for five yards in Sunday's season finale against the Packers, finished the 2019 season with 16 catches (27 targets) for 142 yards and no touchdowns over 16 games.

EDGE Analysis

Detroit signed the former Steeler in the offseason to help the Lions offense establish its identity in the run game. For the most part, James played his role well. While fantasy owners likely hoped for more production as a receiver -- especially when T.J. Hockenson (ankle) missed time due to injury -- prolific pass-catching has never been James' game and it probably never will be. Instead, the 6-foot-7 James excels in opening holes for running backs and that's exactly what the Lions are likely hoping from James in 2020 and beyond. The 25-year-old tight end is under contract through 2023.

James caught his only target for 12 yards during Sunday's 27-17 loss to the Broncos.

EDGE Analysis

After seeing five passes come his way last week, James was much less involved this time around. In fact, he's only seen more than one target in five of 15 games this season despite regularly seeing a healthy amount of playing time. Logan Thomas will remain the team's top receiving threat from the tight end position during Sunday's season finale in Green Bay.

James caught three of five targets for 31 yards during Sunday's 38-17 loss to Tampa Bay.

EDGE Analysis

Both James and Logan Thomas opened the game in the starting lineup and both players commanded roughly two thirds of the available offensive snaps. While James was somehow the only one who made a dent in the stat sheet, Thomas was targeted four times and still has the higher upside of the two. However, it will continue to be difficult to have optimism for either as long as Matthew Stafford (back) remains out of commission.