Detroit Lions Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Lions are bringing LB Alex Anzalone back on a three-year, $18.75 million deal, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That's particularly noteworthy money for Anzalone, who played each of the past two seasons for Detroit on one-year pacts. He got just $1.75 million in 2021 and then $2.5 million last year. But Anzalone increased his playing time each season vs. what he got across four seasons in New Orleans. That included playing 95.1% of the snaps across 17 games last year. Anzalone also saw boosts in his Pro Football Focus grading across categories and cracked the top 30 LBs in fantasy points. Expect him to remain the Lions' best bet for full playing time at the position, heading into his age-29 season. There's still room for 2022 rookie Malcolm Rodriguez to grow his role, though, vs. where Rodriguez finished the season.

Lions S Kerby Joseph (back) and S DeShon Elliott (shoulder) sat out Wednesday's practice to open Week 17. Joseph played every snap of Saturday's loss at Carolina and seems like the better bet to rebound. Elliott missed Week 16 after leaving the previous game early and doesn't currently appear in our Week 17 IDP rankings. We'll keep an eye on the status of both safeties through the week.

The Lions have ruled S DeShon Elliott (shoulder) out or Saturday's game against the Panthers. C.J. Moore should start in Elliott's place. He filled in when Elliott left last week's win over the Jets.

Lions S DeShon Elliott left Sunday's win over the Jets with a dislocated shoulder. HC Dan Campbell told reporters Monday that the team is awaiting results from testing on the joint. We'll see whether Elliott is available for this Saturday's game at Carolina.

Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson (illness) is active for today's game against the Jets. Use him as planned in your IDP lineups.

Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson (illness) is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Jets. He missed Thursday’s practice but returned for a limited Friday. We’d bet on Hutchinson playing but will obviously watch for confirmation

Lions CB Jeff Okudah (illness) is active for today's game against the Vikings. Use him as planned in IDP lineups.

Lions CB Jeff Okudah is questionable for Sunday's game against the Vikings. He missed Wednesday and Thursday with an illness this week before putting in a limited Friday workout. Okudah played a key role in Detroit limiting Vikings WR Justin Jefferson in their 1st meeting this season. His presence Sunday shouldn't affect whether you're playing Jefferson in fantasy football lineups, but Okudah matters for the quality of Detroit's defense overall. He also could be in for plenty of opportunities for IDP upside, if active.

Lions S DeShon Elliott (concussion) and LB Malcolm Rodriguez (elbow) are active for today's game against the Giants. Rodriguez put in full practices all week but still entered the day questionable, indicating that his elbow is not all the way back. He missed last week's game with the injury after playing just 26% in the game where he hurt it (but returned). Rodriguez looks too risky for most IDP lineups. Elliott should be OK to use at normal levels.

Lions S Kerby Joseph (concussion) is active for today's game against the Bears. That matches what coaches said they expected. LB Malcolm Rodriguez (elbow) is inactive.

Lions S Kerby Joseph (concussion) is officially questionable for Sunday's game against the Bears. HC Dan Campbell said Friday, though, that he's "good to go." LB Malcolm Rodriguez (elbow) is also questionable. He returned to last week's game after sustaining the injury but played limited snaps. Rodriguez will be a high-risk play in IDP lineups this week.

Lions LB Malcolm Rodriguez injured his right elbow on the 1st possession of Sunday's win over the Packers. He returned to the game with a brace on it, but wound up playing much less than usual (19 snaps). The rookie trailed Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes in that category. "He was able to go back in, do a little bit but I know he irritated it," HC Dan Campbell told the Detroit Free Press on Monday. "We’ll see where he feels over the next few days." Plan on not having Rodriguez in your Week 10 IDP lineups. We'll see whether Barnes can be an option. Anzalone has spent all season as a full-timer.

Lions S Kerby Joseph delivered 10 tackles and 2 INTs (among 3 passes defensed) in Sunday's win over the Packers. Unfortunately, HC Dan Campbell said afterward that Joseph is in the concussion protocol, according to ESPN's Eric Woodyard. We'll see how he progresses. Detroit visits Chicago in Week 10.

Lions EDGE Charles Harris (groin) is active for today's game against the Packers. He makes for a high-risk IDP option after not playing since Week 4.

The Lions have ruled S DeShon Elliott (finger), EDGE Charles Harris (groin) and CB Mike Hughes (knee) out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

Lions S Tracy Walker confirmed Monday that he suffered a torn Achilles' tendon in Sunday's loss to the Vikings. That will cost him the rest of the season. Juju Hughes stepped in after Walker left early in Sunday's game. Walker signed a 3-year extension with the Lions in March that should keep him in the starting lineup if he's ready for the beginning of next season.

Lions S Tracy Walker injured his left leg in the 1st half of Sunday's game against the Vikings. The team has already ruled him out. We'll see about the severity.

Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson (thigh) is active for today's game against the Vikings. He barely practiced this week but seems OK for normal IDP lineup usage.

Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson is questionable for Sunday's game after missing 2 practices this week with a thigh injury. He did return for a limited Friday workout, though, and said he expects to play against the Vikings. "I'm feeling good; it'll be fine," the rookie said after practice, according to SB Nation's Jeremy Reisman. HC Dan Campbell added that he doesn't mind Hutchinson's missed practice time in preparing for the game. "It's always better to practice, so you get the looks, the live looks. But I'm not concerned because he's mentally -- he's in it," Campbell said. We'll confirm Hutchinson's status Sunday morning.

The Lions re-signed LB Alex Anzalone this offseason and opened spring workouts with him and 2nd-year LB Derrick Barnes as starters. LBs coach Kelvin Sheppard says no one's job is "safe," though. "[Anzalone] has the most time-on-task in my room, but that doesn't designate him the starter," Sheppard tells PrideofDetroit.com. "The things we did last year are not acceptable ... so don't tell me about what a guy did last year." Detroit also added Chris Board and 6th-round rookie Malcolm Rodriguez, brought back former Lion (and 1-year Jet) Jarrad Davis, and got Shaun Dion Hamilton back from a full year spent on IR. In the same interview, Sheppard had praise for Barnes ("The sky's the limit for him."), Board ("He has a unique skill set."), Anthony Pittman ("putting on a clinic so far") and Rodriguez ("It's arrows up on him."). Sheppard added that Rodriguez has already showed the potential to call the defensive plays, which would mean wearing the green dot and likely staying on the field 3 downs. The whole situation will need to play out in camp and preseason, and we're not ready to invest in any of them. Barnes and Rodriguez look most intriguing as dynasty stashes and late-round dart throws in IDP fantasy football leagues.