Lions WR Kalif Raymond has joined WR Josh Reynolds on the COVID list. If they're not able to get cleared for Sunday's game vs. the Seahawks, Detroit will be down to WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown, Khadarel Hodge, Trinity Benson and Tom Kennedy. St. Brown should continue to rack up targets, and RB D'Andre Swift should step back into a big role in the passing game.
ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms that Lions QB Tim Boyle is expected to start vs. the Falcons today. QB Jared Goff remains on the COVID list. Boyle threw for a whopping 77 yards on 3.35 yards per attempt back in Week 11 -- although, in his defense, that game was played in crappy weather. Still, Boyle is a significant downgrade for Detroit's offense today.
Lions TE T.J. Hockenson will miss the final 4 games of the season after undergoing thumb surgery on Thursday morning, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Hockenson is expected to make a "complete recovery in time for the offseason program," Schefter adds. His absence leaves behind a team-high 7.0 targets per game. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, who's tallied 12 targets in 2 straight, looks like the biggest beneficiary.
The Lions are placing WR Tyrell Williams on IR for the concussion that kept him out of Monday night's game in Green Bay. That means the veteran receiver will miss at least 3 more contests. Quintez Cephus led Detroit wideouts in targets and worked well ahead of the rest of the group in playing time against the Packers. On top of that, he looks like the best player among them to date. Kalif Raymond and rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown checked in close to each other as the 2nd and 3rd WRs in Green Bay, claiming 63% and 60% of the offensive snaps, respectively.
Lions WR Tyrell Williams (concussion) has yet to practice this week and is unlikely to play vs. the Packers on Monday night. That’ll leave Detroit with some combination of WRs Kalif Raymond, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Quintez Cephus and Trinity Benson. Avoid.
The Lions held QB Jared Goff and many other starters out of Friday night's preseason finale. Fourth-round rookie WR Amon-Ra St. Brown played, however, and continued to see just limited action. He spent just 7 snaps on the field, while the game's starters played 26. According to Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke, St. Brown "hasn't played a single snap" in 2 WR sets through 3 preseason contests. There's certainly room for his role to grow through the season, but the rookie doesn't look like a player you should bother with in redraft fantasy football leagues.
Lions rookie WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has seen "consistent work" rotating in with starters as a slot receiver so far in camp, according to Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic. The 4th-round pick has reportedly displayed strong route-running that has challenged any position trying to cover him and been 1 of the team's top rookies in early workouts. Baumgardner writes that St. Brown getting open underneath has "been a constant" and that he's "likely going to see a bunch of targets underneath this season, especially early." A shaky deep-passing game and lackluster WR depth chart overall can only help St. Brown in that pursuit. The rookie sits outside the top 70 WRs in ADP across FFPC draft formats right now, making him a low-risk bet late in drafts.
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